DETROIT — The UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust Board of Trustees has named Denise J. Lewis as Chairperson of the Board, effective immediately.
She assumes the role held by the late Robert Naftaly, a founding member of the board. Lewis has served on the trust’s board since January 2023 and provided leadership and counsel on critical matters of governance and executive leadership.
“Denise Lewis is an esteemed leader who has become an invaluable voice for the UAW retirees covered under the Trust,” said Jessica Gubing, CEO of the Trust. “As our board chair, Denise will help further the Trust’s mission to serve our members, as well as our commitment to the long-term viability of the Trust. We are lucky to have her as our next chairperson.”
She’s a member of the trust’s Audit and Budget Subcommittee, providing a vital role in monitoring many aspects of the Trust’s activities and performance. Her responsibilities include overseeing financial reporting and related internal controls, risk, independent and internal audits, and compliance.
Lewis is a retired Senior Partner and former Board Member of Honigman LLP, Michigan’s largest law firm, and she is a civic and community leader who has contributed her expertise in finance and corporate governance.
Her prior board service included her tenure on the board of directors of Detroit area hospitals and serving as Chair of the Board of Governors of Wayne State University.
Through her current board service, she lends her expertise and leadership in corporate governance as Vice Chair of the Detroit Opera Board and member of its Finance Committee, as a member of the Wayne State University Foundation Board and its Investment Committee and the Motown Museum Finance Committee.
Lewis was recognized by Best Lawyers in America and Chambers USA as a leading business lawyer. She received her B.A. degree from Barnard College, Columbia University and her J.D. degree from the University of Michigan Law School.
