Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee has chosen a top healthcare executive as its new Senior Vice President for Institutional Advancement. New SVP Walter Woods is an HBCU graduate himself, hailing from Howard University. Get the full story from staff at The Tennessee Tribune below.

Meharry Medical College has named Walter Woods, former CEO of Humana Foundation, as Senior Vice President for Institutional Advancement.

Meharry Medical College has named Walter Woods, former CEO of Humana Foundation, as Senior Vice President for Institutional Advancement. 

The announcement was made Monday on social media by Meharry President and CEO, Dr. James E.K. Hildreth.

“I look forward to working with him on our Meharry 2026 capital campaign to raise funds to support programs and provide scholarships to our students,” Hildreth said via Twitter.

Woods has a MBA from Northwestern University – J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Evanston, IL, 1989; BBA, cum laude, from Howard University, Washington, DC, 1987; and completed the Executive Program for Non-Profit Leaders from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, Palo Alto, California, 2013. 

The Louisville Business Journal reported that Woods stepped down from Humana last year to pursue his passion around addressing financial inequities.

He received acclaim by being recognized through Louisville Business First’s 2019 Most Admired CEO and 2021 Power 50 programs. He also is a member of Louisville Business First’s Leadership Trust, an invite-only network of influential executives and other leaders in Louisville. As part of his participation on the Leadership Trust, Woods penned an op-ed published that spelled out lessons he learned at the Humana Foundation about fostering social connectedness. 

As CEO of Humana Foundation, Woods managed $430 million in philanthropic assets.

In response to Hildreth’s Tweet on Monday, Woods replied, “Honored to join the journey of an institution that continues to be one of the solutions to closing the health equity gap in America.”