Eli Lilly and Company, announced that Leigh Ann Pusey will be joining Lilly as senior vice president of corporate affairs and communications, effective June 12, 2017. She will be a member of Lilly's executive committee reporting directly to president and chief executive officer, David A. Ricks.

Pusey currently serves as president and chief executive officer of the American Insurance Association (AIA), an insurance industry trade association representing more than 300 insurers that provide property and casualty insurance in the United States. She joined AIA in December 1996 and was promoted to president and CEO in February 2009. Pusey is consistently recognized by The Hill as one of the top lobbyists in Washington, D.C. and in 2012 she was named by National Journal as one of the 25 "Most Influential Women in Washington."

"Leigh Ann brings a wealth of public affairs leadership experience to Lilly and at a particularly important time for our industry," said Ricks. "Her ability to convene conversations and drive proactive policy solutions will be critical in our efforts to promote and sustain medical innovation so patients and the health care system benefit from a new era of medicine."

Pusey serves in various capacities for a number of organizations, including as a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Committee of 100, and board member of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Prior to joining AIA, Pusey had been the deputy assistant to President George H.W. Bush for the White House Office of Public Liaison and deputy director of communications for the Republican National Committee. Pusey is a graduate of Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. She currently resides in Alexandria, Virginia, with her husband and their two children.