WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb has appointed David A. Ricks to the Purdue University Board of Trustees, effective January 1, 2025, through July 1, 2027.

Ricks is chairman and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company. Under his leadership, Lilly has delivered record-breaking research and development performance and innovative medicines that reach more and more people, positioning the company for sustainable growth and a greater role in advancing human health.

Ricks will fill the position left vacant by the impending retirement of CEO Michael Berghoff. Trustees elected Gary Lehman as chairman and Mike Klipsch as vice chairman, effective January 1.

Lilly’s innovation strategy has produced a pipeline that has been among the most valuable in the industry since Ricks became chairman and CEO in 2017. Previously, Ricks held roles spanning functions, regions and therapeutic areas after joining the company in 1996 as a Business Development Associate. He served as general manager of Lilly Canada, president and general manager of Lilly China, president of Lilly USA and president of Lilly Bio-Medicines.

Supporting the health innovation ecosystem and local communities is also a priority. Ricks is a board member of Adobe, Business Roundtable, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, The Business Council, the US Patent and Trademark Office’s Council for Inclusive Innovation, and Central Indiana Corporate Partnership.

Ricks earned a Bachelor of Science from Purdue University in 1990 and an MBA from Indiana University in 1996. He was awarded an honorary doctorate in pharmaceutical management from Purdue.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research institution that demonstrates excellence at scale. Purdue is ranked in the top 10 public universities and, with two colleges, in the top 4 in the United States. Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge at a quality and scale that is unparalleled. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person at the West Lafayette campus. For reasons of affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition for 13 consecutive years. Learn how Purdue is persistently pursuing its next big leap – including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health Initiative – at https://www.purdue.edu/ – never stops. President/Strategic Initiatives.