The Allstate Corporation announced that Rhonda Ferguson will join the company as Executive Vice President and General Counsel, effective Sept. 28. Ferguson will take over from Susie Lees, who after 32 years of service to Allstate has announced her intention to retire in 2021. Lees remains Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of the corporation.
Ferguson joins Allstate from Union Pacific Railroad, where she has served as Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary and was responsible for all legal, regulatory and corporate governance initiatives.
“Rhonda is a terrific addition to the Allstate family,” said Tom Wilson, Chair, President and CEO of The Allstate Corporation. “She is a thoughtful and focused leader who brings expertise and wisdom to her new role. Rhonda is collaborative yet challenges conventional wisdom, which will be invaluable as Allstate transforms how we serve customers and society.”
Ferguson joined Union Pacific in 2016 after nearly a decade as Vice President, Corporate Secretary and Chief Ethics Officer at FirstEnergy, an electric utility in her home state of Ohio. Earlier in her career, she was Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary at Ferro. She was a partner at BakerHostetler and a litigation associate at Thompson Hine LLP. Ferguson earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Northwestern University and a Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
During the transition, Lees will expand her focus on Allstate’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives. “We look forward to celebrating Susie’s many contributions to Allstate early next year,” Wilson said.
