Thursday’s scheduled meeting of the Indiana University Board of Trustees will be the first for three new trustees appointed by Governor Mitch Daniels. Among them is Eli Lilly senior vice president and CFO Derica Rice. Rice says he became personal friends with the Governor during Daniels’ term as an executive at Lilly.
Prior to 2003, Rice had worked abroad for nine years as general manager of Lilly’s UK affiliate, and executive director of finance for European operations. Since returning to Indiana, Rice says he’s resumed relationships with many people, including Governor Daniels. He says he was honored when Daniels suggested he consider serving on the board of trustees. Rice earned an MBA from IU’s Kelly School of Business in 1990, and was hired the same year by Lilly. Rice says he has no specific priorities as a trustee. He says he looks forward to learning more about the university beyond his own experience as a graduate student. As an executive at a pharmaceutical company, Rice says he has particular interest in IU’s life sciences initiative. He says it’s important for IU to foster not only scientific talent with the life sciences industry in mind, but business talent as well.
Rice says he looks forward to leveraging both his roles at Lilly and at IU toward the advancement of the life sciences industry in Indiana.
