UnitedHealth Group has named a new chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer.
Joy Fitzgerald will join the healthcare giant from drugmaker Eli Lilly, where she served as chief diversity and inclusion officer. She has also held other human resources leadership roles at companies including Rockwell Collins.
In her tenure at Lilly, the company was ranked in the top three of Diversity, Inc.'s list of the top 50 companies for diversity over the past two years.
“I am honored to join UnitedHealth Group and this high-performing team of 330,000 individuals who are working hard every day to make the health system work better for everyone,” said Fitzgerald in a statement.
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“Diversity, equity and inclusion are business imperatives and UnitedHealth Group is making significant strides to continue growing in these key areas, which is part of what attracted me to this company. I am eager to get started," she said.
Fitzgerald will bring more than 20 years of experience in assisting both for-profit and nonprofit organizations build more diverse and inclusive cultures, UnitedHealth Group said.
She has been recognized for her work by a number of groups, including “Elite 100 Black Women Executives” by Diversity Woman Magazine, the list of “Most Powerful Black Women in Corporate Diversity” by Black Enterprise and by the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association as a “Rising Star.”
“Joy’s proven track record of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives will be a significant asset to UnitedHealth Group and represents our continued commitment to advancing equity inside and outside the company,” said Patricia Lewis, chief human resources officer at UnitedHealth Group, in a statement. “Joy’s expertise in this area will support our mission to attract, develop and grow world-class talent at all levels.”