Heather Russo

Heather Russo has extensive experience in the legal field. Heather began their career as an Attorney at Fleming & Umland in 2008, where they worked until 2010. Heather then joined Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP as an Associate Attorney from 2011 to 2012. Heather then moved on to State Farm Insurance Companies, where they served as a Contract Attorney in Corporate Law from 2012 to 2014. After that, they worked at Ganan & Shapiro, P.C. as an Attorney from 2014 to 2015. Currently, they are working at Illinois Mutual, first as an Associate Counsel from 2015 to 2017, then as an Assistant General Counsel from 2017 to 2019, and currently as an Assistant Vice President & Assistant General Counsel.

Heather Russo obtained a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Health Care Administration from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Heather then attended the University of Dayton School of Law from 2004 to 2007, earning a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree in Law. Additionally, they obtained a license to practice law in Illinois from the ARDC: Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois in November 2007.

Heather Russo has also obtained several certifications to enhance their professional skills. In November 2022, they became a Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional (CCEP) from the Compliance Certification Board (CCB). In February 2022, they completed "How to Support Your Employees' Well-Being" from LinkedIn. Other certifications include "Driving Innovation: A Leader's Guide to Ownership and Accountability for Creative Teams" in November 2021, "Building Resilience as a Leader" in September 2021, "Psychological Safety: Clear Blocks to Innovation, Collaboration, and Risk-Taking" in July 2021, and "Confronting Bias: Thriving Across Our Differences" in March 2021.