Beth Leonard is Senior Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc., where she oversees a combined corporate affairs team. Comprised of the talented leaders who manage Walgreens Government Relations, Public Affairs and Corporate Communications functions, the team is responsible for communications with key Walgreens stakeholders including employees, media, industry partners and policymakers at the local, state and federal levels. Previously, she was Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer of WBA, which she joined in June 2023.
Prior to WBA, Leonard spent seven years at the EmblemHealth family of companies, most recently as the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer. At EmblemHealth, one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit health insurers, she was responsible for ensuring messaging alignment across all external and internal stakeholders in support of the company’s mission and not-for-profit roots, overseeing communications, marketing, digital strategy, retail, corporate and internal communications, public relations, government affairs, public policy, communicate engagement and corporate social responsibility functions. Leonard was executive sponsor of The Bold Collective, EmblemHealth’s women’s employee resource group, and served on the company’s Diversity and Inclusion Council.
Prior to EmblemHealth, Leonard spent eight years at America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the trade association representing the health insurance industry, serving as Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Strategic Initiative during the historic Affordable Care Act debate, passage and implementation.
Leonard also has extensive political campaign experience, holding key state leadership roles in presidential campaigns in 2004 and 2008, and having managed the re-election campaign for Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. She also served as the Chief of Staff at the City of Boston’s Redevelopment Authority and Economic Development Agency.
Leonard earned her master’s degree in Political Management, Issues and Crisis Management, from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., while working in the government relations office of the American Cancer Society. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Developmental Psychology from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo.