As assistant general counsel at Illinois Mutual Life Insurance Company, Heather Russo provides legal counsel and compliance service to the entire Illinois Mutual enterprise, with a focus on risk mitigation, product development and regulatory compliance. She serves as corporate anti-fraud coordinator and is a member of various corporate committees, including the Worksite and Disability Income Product Development Committee.
As in-house counsel vice chair for the Defense Research Institute (DRI) Life Health and Disability Committee, Russo facilitates discussion to identify issues relevant to in-house counsel in the litigation of life, health and disability insurance matters for research, publication or plenary sessions at the organization’s annual meeting. She has also previously served as DRI’s In-House Counsel Liaison.
A member of the Illinois State Bar Association since 2007, Russo was appointed to serve on the Corporate Counsel Section from 2016 to 2017, collaborating with other members to identify, review and recommend solutions for issues impacting corporations throughout the state. She is also an active member of the Peoria County Bar Association, serving on a number of committees.
Russo is also passionate about her community, serving as a grant reviewer for the Heart of Illinois United Way since 2013. She is a longtime member of the Junior League of Peoria (JLP), sitting on the board of directors from 2011 to 2015 and serving in a variety of leadership roles including treasurer, secretary, vice president of community development, vice president of finance, and director at large. She was recognized in 2014 with JLP’s Volunteer of the Year award and graduated from the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce Leadership School in 2012.
For more than half a decade, Russo has served on the ICC Educational Foundation Scholarship Selection Committee and as an election judge in Peoria County. She volunteers for The Salvation Army and was the team lead for Illinois Mutual’s United Way campaign in 2016. According to friends and peers, her drive and commitment as an employee, volunteer, wife, mother and friend are unsurpassed. iBi
