Vice President of Government Relations, Mylan Inc.
by Kensie Westerfield
In today’s world most people change jobs and companies endless amounts of time. Leah Summers found what she was looking for in Mylan as a summer intern 16 years ago and has never left. She has held numerous positions while working her way up to vice president of government relations.
Having always wanted to be a lawyer, Summers is quite happy with the way things have worked out. “I wanted to be a lawyer, always, and for some reason I knew that early on,” says Summers. “I looked back at a questionnaire I filled out in the 10th grade and it said I wanted to be either a corporate lawyer, which is what I did at Mylan for many years, or a child advocate attorney.”
Summers’ innovative side has always been one of her strengths. Going back to the summer when she was a caterer, she was tasked with making waffle cones. She was not very good at it; she continually burned her fingers and all the cones had a hole in the bottom. “My plan was to put a jelly bean in the bottom of them and that actually became an epic hit. It was a disaster that we turned into something fun. However, the smell of waffle cones still turns my stomach.”
Summers’ drive for success and lend-a-hand attitude began at a young age, along with her passion for the pageant world. “I was making an appearance as a state fair queen at a picnic in Bluefield and a gentleman who did catering in that area had an employee who didn’t show up. I was always taught by my mom, no matter what needs to be done, if you can do it, get in there and get it done.” It was the catering job that gave Summers the opportunity to see so much of the state that she would one day represent in the Miss America Pageant.
“It was one of the most fabulous memories—to be able to stand on that stage in Atlantic City and say ‘Hi. I am Leah Lasker, Miss West Virginia.’ It was an amazing moment and I will never forget it. I was there in 1991 and I still get chills thinking about being able to stand there and represent the state that I love.”
Her love of West Virginia is one element that inspired her to be photographed with a West Virginia Mountaineers jersey because it represents her school, her state, the sports that she loves and time she gets to spend with her family.
Being involved in the Miss West Virginia Scholarship Organization has helped foster Summers’ already competitive edge and has given her the chance to work hand-in-hand with one of her mentors. “I started competing in the Miss America system in 1987. It was there that I met Candy Reid, a former Miss West Virginia who served as the producer of the pageant. She not only had an ability to reach each of the contestants but she helped us figure out who we were and why we were there. I saw her as a lady who had been there and who was giving back at a level that most people would not do. Because I had seen her give in that way, I felt compelled to do the same thing.” Summers is the executive director of the Miss West Virginia Scholarship Organization which makes available more than $150,000 annually in cash and in-kind scholarships to young women in West Virginia.
Aside from her parents and Candy Reid, Summers knows that she has been lucky to have had so many incredible people in her life. She has also had the chance to learn from and be inspired by one of the most powerful people in West Virginia, Mike Puskar. “Mike Puskar is a man many people know because of the wonderful things he does in the community. In the industry he is known as a pioneer. He literally sat at the table as the generic pharmaceutical industry as we know it today was created. He will tackle issues head-on. I call him a moral compass because he steadfastly knows right from wrong. He is committed to doing the right thing no matter what.”
