President and Chief Executive Officer of Progressive Insurance Tricia Griffith will be the keynote speaker for 2018 Business Week at Illinois State University. Griffith will speak at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, February 22, at Illinois State’s Center for the Performing Arts. The talk, which is part of the Illinois State University Speaker Series, is free and open to the public.

Griffith was appointed president and chief executive officer and elected to the Board of Directors of the Progressive Group of Insurance Companies in July of 2016. She is responsible for helping the company become consumers’ number one choice and destination for auto and other insurance. Prior to being named CEO, Griffith served as personal lines chief operating officer since April 2015 overseeing the company’s Personal Lines, Claims and Customer Relationship Management groups.

Griffith joined Progressive as a claims representative in 1988 and has served in many key leadership positions during her tenure. She held several managerial positions in the Claims division before being named chief human resources officer in 2002. In 2008, she returned to Claims as the group president, overseeing all claims functions. Prior to being named personal lines chief operating officer, Tricia was president of customer operations, overseeing claims and the customer management group, which comprises the company’s contact center group (sales and delivery), as well as the customer experience, systems experience, and workforce management groups.

Tricia has a bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University and is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business’ Advanced Management Program. In 2016, she was named one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” by Fortune Magazine.

The Illinois State University Speaker Series seeks to bring innovative and enlightening speakers to the campus with the aim of providing the community with a platform to foster dialogue, cultivate enriching ideas, and continue an appreciation of learning as an active and lifelong process. All talks are free and open to the public.