Biography

Marla Persky is CEO and President of WOMN LLC, a company dedicated to helping women succeed in the business of law by increasing their knowledge of and acuity with financial drivers, client development, and leadership. Throughout her professional life, Ms. Persky has had the opportunity to understand and practice business principles that lead to personal and company success. Ms. Persky retired in 2013 as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Boehringer Ingelheim USA, where she oversaw a department of over 70 individuals. She also was a member of Boehringer’s executive management team and a director of the company and several of its subsidiaries.

Prior to joining Boehringer Ingelheim, Ms. Persky spent 19 years at Baxter International Inc. where she held numerous business and legal positions, the most recent of which was Acting General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. During her career at Baxter, Ms. Persky managed global legal services, was General Manager of an international medical device business, led international crisis management teams, acquired and integrated international businesses, and designed/implemented strategies to manage global mass torts.

Ms. Persky is currently chair of the Nominating & Governance Committee and serves on the Audit and Compensation Committees of Panavance Therapeutics Inc, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company advancing the development of GP-225, a novel oncology therapeutic. She is also a member of the board of directors of Revolo Biotherapeutics, a venture funded biotechnology company engaged in the development of therapies that reset the immune system to achieve long-term disease remission. Previously, she served on the board of directors of Cytyc Corporation (Nasdaq diagnostics company). She was also on the board of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation, the world’s largest privately owned pharmaceutical company. Ms. Persky was a director of Watermark, Inc., a private publisher and broker of children’s literature.

In addition to her corporate activities, Ms. Persky is on the board of several not-for-profit organizations such as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Primary Stages (an off- Broadway theater company), and World Neighbors Inc. Ms. Persky is a frequent speaker on a variety of subjects, including leadership principles, mentoring, diversity, crisis management, and negotiation techniques.

Throughout her career, Ms. Persky has focused on improving diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. She has been awarded for her contributions by elite organizations such as the Lawyer's Collaborative for Diversity and the Connecticut Appleseed Foundation. She was recognized as one of the 10 most innovative in-house counsels for her strategy and efforts to increase the opportunities and visibility of women in high-profile litigation

She is a graduate of the Washington University School of Law and Northwestern University.

Committee Roles:
Chair of the Board
Member of the Audit Committee
Member of Nominating Governance Committee