Alumnus receives high honor from Boy Scouts of America

Alumnus Dave Ricks has received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America. The award is a national recognition of an Eagle Scout who received the Eagle Scout rank 25 or more years ago, has gained status of eminence in his life’s work, and has shared his talents with the community on a voluntary basis.

David Ricks receives awardRicks is the 2,152nd Distinguished Eagle Scout, joining an elite group of recipients including Dr. Robert M. Gates, Neil Armstrong, President Gerald Ford, and Senator Richard Lugar.

The ceremony took place at the Annual Scouting Awards Dinner in June 2016 at the Downtown Marriott in Indianapolis, IN. Days later Ricks’ eldest son, Joseph, received his Eagle Scout award.

Ricks is senior vice president of Eli Lilly and Company and president of Lilly Bio-Medicines. After joining Lilly in 1996 as a business development associate, Ricks held several management roles in U.S. marketing and sales before moving to Lilly Canada, where he served as director of pharmaceutical marketing, as national sales director, and then as general manager. He then was named president and general manager of Lilly China before becoming president of Lilly USA in 2009. Ricks now leads Lilly Bio-Medicines, which encompasses the therapeutic areas of neuroscience, cardiovascular, urology, musculoskeletal, and autoimmunity, as well as the company’s global marketing and pricing, reimbursement, and access functions.

Ricks serves on the Purdue University Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Advisory Board and the Board of Governors for the Riley Children’s Foundation.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Purdue University and a master’s degree in business administration from Indiana University.

Photo: Alumnus Dave Ricks, with his family in the background, delivers his acceptance speech at the Annual Scouting Awards Dinner in June 2016. Photo courtesy of Boy Scouts of America.