Kathleen Sweitzer has joined national employee benefits provider Trustmark as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. She will lead Trustmark’s legal, compliance and government affairs functions.
“We are at an inflection point in employee benefits, as technology advances both shape customer expectations and influence the regulatory environment,” said Trustmark President and CEO Kevin Slawin. “Kathleen has experience at this intersection of healthcare and technology, providing strategic solutions to legal and business issues and building risk management and compliance programs that support innovation and drive growth. We are very pleased to welcome her to Trustmark.”
Sweitzer succeeds Steve Auburn, who will retire at the end of April after eight years at Trustmark and a wide-ranging legal career spanning more than four decades. “Through monumental regulatory changes, a global pandemic and, most recently, a pair of acquisitions, Steve has quietly yet capably, and with great humility, served Trustmark,” said Slawin. “He has been a trusted member of our leadership team, and, on behalf of all Trustmark associates, we wish Steve a long and happy retirement.”
Sweitzer’s legal career of more than 25 years includes leadership roles at Maestro Health, where she served as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary; at Aon, where she was Associate General Counsel, Health Solutions; and Tressler, LLP, where she was a partner and built and served as co-chair of the firm’s ERISA/Life and Health Practice Group.
“Coming to Trustmark is the capstone of my career,” said Sweitzer. “Recognized as a Top Workplace by the Chicago Tribune, our headline on the company website says it all: ‘Helping Businesses and Employees Thrive.’ I am thrilled to join a dedicated group of professionals who transform and make a difference in the lives and businesses of our customers.”
Sweitzer earned her law degree from California Western School of Law and her BS in business administration, with honors, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is admitted to the Bar in Hawaii and Illinois. Sweitzer has also published and presented on topics of healthcare law, ethics and professional development of women in law.
She is a board member and member of the Strategic Planning, Equity and Inclusion and Program Committees at Coordinated Advice and Referral Program for Legal Services (CARPLS), Chicago’s largest provider of legal services to low- and moderate-income residents. She is also a past board member and current member of the In-House Counsel Committee of the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law, an association to benefit the enhancement, recruitment and promotion of women lawyers at law firms and corporations.