Geralyn Ritter

President and CEO

gritter@crowell.com

Geralyn Ritter is the President and CEO of C&M International, the global public affairs, government relations and public policy consulting affiliate of Crowell & Moring LLP. Geralyn has more than 25 years of diverse business, legal and government experience, with particular depth in pharmaceuticals, health care, international trade, environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG), and global public policy.

In addition to overseeing the CMI team and its clients, Geralyn will work closely with Crowell Health Solutions, a strategic consulting firm that helps clients deliver innovative alternatives to the traditional approaches of providing and paying for health care, including through digital health, health equity, and value-based health care.

Geralyn was most recently Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Sustainability & ESG at Organon & Co. – a global healthcare company that spun out of Merck & Co., Inc.  She was Organon’s lead global spokesperson and directed its government affairs, communications, and corporate responsibility efforts, bringing strong market and media recognition to Organon and its mission of delivering healthcare products that make healthier lives for women around the world.

Geralyn held a number of senior positions at Merck between 2008 and 2021, including Senior Vice President, Corporate Secretary and Assistant General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Global Public Policy & Corporate Responsibility. During her tenure, she led the creation of Merck for Mothers, a trailblazing global initiative to reduce maternal mortality, which was cited as one of the most impactful developments in global health. Geralyn also served as Vice President for International Affairs at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA); in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative within the Executive Office of the President; and counseled clients on trade and IP matters at a global law firm.

Geralyn is a noted public speaker, patient advocate, and author. She recently published Bone by Bone: A Memoir of Trauma and Healing, her account of suffering near-fatal injuries in the derailment of an Amtrak train outside Philadelphia in 2015 and her long recovery in the years since.

Geralyn co-chairs the Patient and Family Advisory Council at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and is a board member of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University; and recently concluded two terms serving on the board of directors of Business for Social Responsibility, a global non-profit consulting firm.

Government Experience

Executive Office of the President, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative—Associate General Counsel, 1997-2000

Education

Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), M.A. conferred with distinction, International Economics and European Studies

Stanford Law School, J.D.  conferred with honors, Order of the Coif

Duke University, B.A., magna cum laude, Economics and Political Science, Phi Beta Kappa

Professional Activities and Memberships

Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, Board Member

Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Co-Chair, Patient and Family Advisory Council

Business for Social Responsibility, former Board Member

 

Publications

Bone by Bone, Core Media, 2022. Passionate patient advocate and frequent speaker on personal resilience.