Back to Community News
Tiffany Benjamin, CEO of the Humana Foundation, has joined the United States-Japan Foundation as a Trustee.
Benjamin brings to the USJF board extensive experience, knowledge, and connections in the American philanthropic sector. In addition to her position at Humana, she serves on the boards of the Council on Foundations and Indiana University's Lilly School of Philanthropy, which she used to chair. She currently chairs the board of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy.
Ms. Benjamin was named to the inaugural 2025 Time Magazine100 Philanthropy list, celebrating the singular figures shaping the future of giving. In 2024, she was awarded the prestigious Outstanding Corporate Philanthropy Leaders Award from the Council on Foundations, and in 2022, The Root recognized Ms. Benjamin as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans.
She writes extensively on private philanthropy and health equity and teaches courses at Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy.
"Tiffany is the perfect voice to add to our board as we seek to boost our philanthropic impact," said USJF Board Chair Lawrence K. Fish. "Her perspective will be especially valuable as we seek to connect better with Japanese philanthropists and nonprofit organizations, and to offer those counterparts first-hand knowledge of American best practices in that field."
"I’m honored to join the United States-Japan Foundation’s board because strengthening global collaboration is essential to improving community well being,” said Tiffany Benjamin, CEO of the Humana Foundation. “Throughout my career, I’ve seen how thoughtfully aligned philanthropy can open doors to meaningful change. I look forward to working alongside my fellow Trustees to deepen connections between our sectors and to sharing learnings that help communities in both nations thrive."
As CEO, Ms. Benjamin leads the Humana Foundation’s efforts to co-create healthier communities and eliminate unjust differences in Americans’ health. She is committed to closing systemic equity gaps in mental and behavioral health, nutrition, and food security, particularly for school-aged children, seniors, and veterans.
Ms. Benjamin spearheaded the Foundation’s partnership with USAA to co-found Face the Fight, an initiative to reduce veteran suicides that is now supported by a coalition of over 200 organizations. Additionally, she leads the Foundation’s philanthropic disaster response and recovery strategy, as well as its scholarships and associate giving programs.
Before joining Humana, Ms. Benjamin was President of the Eli Lilly & Company Foundation and Senior Director, Social Impact at Eli Lilly and Company. In 2020, she led Lilly’s global philanthropic efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its philanthropic efforts to address racial inequity in the United States.
The United States-Japan Foundation was established in 1980 with the mission of improving relations between the two countries. It has since given out more than $100 million in grants and oversees the US-Japan Leadership Program with a network of 500 fellows from the two countries.
Benjamin will join on the USJF board: Chair Fish, Vice Chair Kohei Itoh, Wendy Cutler, Richard E. Dyck, Stan Kasten, Caroline Kennedy, Lin Kobayashi, James M. Kondo, Santa Ono, Kazuyo Sejima, and Keiko Tashiro.
For questions, please contact: info@us-jf.org
