Michael J. Harrington, '85

Professional Association: Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Global Operations (retired) for Eli Lilly and Company

Education: Degree, Albion College, 1985. Doctor of Jurisprudence, Columbia University School of Law

Michael J. Harrington was named chairman of the Albion College Board of Trustees on May 4, 2020. He previously served as chair of the Institutional Advancement Committee and joined the board in 2012.

In January 2020, Harrington retired from Eli Lilly and Company as senior vice president and general counsel, in which he managed Lilly's litigation portfolio and a legal team of 250. In all, he spent nearly three decades with the pharmaceutical company and was named to his most recent position in 2013. Prior to that appointment, Mike served as vice president and deputy general counsel, global pharmaceutical operations. In this capacity, he was responsible for legal issues related to Eli Lilly and Company’s five global business units (Animal Health, Bio-Medicines, Diabetes, Emerging Markets and Oncology).

Harrington joined Lilly in 1991 as an attorney in product liability litigation, and later served in a number of other business and legal positions with the company, including managing director of Eli Lilly New Zealand and as general counsel for Lilly’s operations in the Asia Pacific region.

Born in Evanston, Illinois, Mike received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1985 from Albion College. He received his law degree from the Columbia University School of Law in 1988. Prior to joining Lilly, Mike was a litigator at the law firm of Baker & Daniels in Indianapolis.

Mike currently is board chair for the Indiana Repertory Theatre and co-chair of the Civil Justice Reform Group (CJRG). He also serves on the boards of National Center for State Courts (NCSC) and Leadership Council for Legal Diversity (LCLD).