LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Humana, one of the nation’s leading health and well-being companies, announced on Tuesday two key strategic leadership appointments in anticipation of upcoming transitions.
The company promoted Joseph Ventura to general counsel and named Douglas Stoss interim lead for Humana’s office of corporate affairs. Both will report to Humana President and CEO Bruce Broussard and serve as members of the company’s management team.
Ventura succeeds Christopher Todoroff, who has announced his retirement after a career in corporate law that spanned three decades, including the past 10 years with Humana as general counsel and chief legal officer.
Ventura joined Humana as legal counsel in 2009, serving most recently as senior vice president, associate general counsel and corporate secretary, and has worked directly with the board of directors on significant M&A and securities law matters, while also leading the Law Department’s Corporate Group. Ventura and Todoroff will work together over the next several months to ensure a smooth transition, during which time Todoroff will serve as special counsel to the company.
“Joe is a seasoned corporate and M&A legal strategist whose central involvement in our strategic acquisitions has afforded him a broad enterprise view of Humana’s business, including strategic litigation, enterprise risk issues, and a broad range of regulatory and public affairs matters,” said Broussard. “His ability to communicate and collaborate effectively across the organization has made him a highly sought advisor by the senior leadership team.”
Broussard also praised Todoroff’s legal and strategic acumen. “For a decade, Chris has shaped the company’s legal strategy, making it possible for Humana to expand its clinical capabilities to help the people we serve achieve their best health through an integrated care delivery model that personalizes and simplifies the health care experience.”
Prior to joining Humana, Ventura was an associate in the New York office of Alston & Bird LLP, concentrating his practice in securities regulation and compliance, mergers and acquisitions, including domestic/cross-border and public/private business combinations, as well as Sarbanes-Oxley and other corporate governance matters. Ventura received his bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations from the University of Richmond and his law degree from the University of Virginia.
In addition, Douglas Stoss will serve as interim lead of the office of corporate affairs as Humana continues its comprehensive internal and external search for a successor to Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Heidi Margulis, who announced her intention last year to transition from the company in the course of 2019 after 33 years of distinguished service. Since joining Humana in 2014, Stoss has led the company’s Washington, D.C. office, helping Humana navigate the federal legislative and regulatory landscape.
“Doug is a strong leader and highly accomplished government affairs practitioner,” said Broussard. “He brings extensive business, executive and legislative branch experience to this assignment, and I’m confident in his ability to continue to advance Humana’s point of view on health care quality, access and affordability with governments at all levels.”
Broussard also recognized Margulis and her many contributions to the organization. “In the course of her remarkable career, Heidi has helped refocus our company’s public sector strategies from short-term priorities to long-term initiatives to create a competitive advantage in the marketplace by removing barriers to more affordable, quality benefits and services for consumers, especially those in greatest need. In addition, she has increased Humana’s impact in the communities we serve by aligning our community-focused initiatives across the enterprise. This work included guiding the company’s community outreach, coalition-building activities and corporate social responsibility initiatives, as well as administrative oversight of the Humana Foundation.” Margulis will remain a member of the Humana Foundation Board of Directors.
Stoss joined Humana from Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he served for five years as director of market access strategy, responsible for shaping the company’s strategy for public-sector activities. Previously, Stoss served as chief of staff at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) during the period when CMS launched multiple quality initiatives, the Medicare Prescription Drug Program (PDP) and expanded the Medicare Advantage (MA) program. In the legislative branch, he served in several leadership positions for former U.S. Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) and started his public service working for U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). Stoss earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Arizona.
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