About this episode

Tiffany Benjamin discusses her journey from law to philanthropy and the importance of empathy in leadership.

What does it look like to run philanthropy with the discipline of a business and the empathy of a social worker? Tiffany Benjamin is the CEO of the Humana Foundation, the philanthropic arm of one of the largest healthcare companies in the country. A Harvard-trained lawyer, she started at a major firm, spent several years as senior investigative counsel for Congress, and rose through Eli Lilly’s legal ranks before an unexpected turn — a corporate secretary assignment she never asked for — pulled her into social impact work for good. But her preparation started much earlier: as an elementary schooler tagging along while her mother, a single mom who left a switchboard operator job to become a social worker, sat with HIV/AIDS patients in the 1980s and showed her what true empathy looks like. Since becoming CEO in 2022, Tiffany has narrowed the foundation’s focus to mental health and food security for three populations — seniors, school-aged children, and veterans — and built an accountability engine most nonprofits never attempt: a chief impact officer, standardized outcome metrics, 3–5 year grants, and a willingness to name what didn’t work. She was recognized on the TIME100…

People in this episode

Guest: Tiffany Benjamin

Topics covered

• philanthropy
• leadership
• mental health
• food security
• social impact
• healthcare

Keywords

• Tiffany Benjamin
• Humana Foundation
• philanthropy
• mental health
• food security
• leadership philosophy
• social impact
• HIV/AIDS
• Eli Lilly

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Humana Foundation, Eli Lilly, TIME100

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