Devoted to women of color in business

Deirdre P. Connelly first joined Lilly in 1983 as a sales representative. In June 2005, she was appointed president of Lilly U.S. operations after holding the positions of  senior vice president of human resources and vice president of human resources for pharmaceutical operations.

Connelly was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and received a bachelor's degree in economics and marketing from Lycoming College in Pennsylvania in 1983. She graduated from the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University in 2000.

Connelly' role as president includes establishing open dialogues between patients and physicians. "It's important that we respond to patient needs - and market pressures - with integrity. People depend on us," she told Fortune magazine.