SPHIS Community Advisory Board Spotlight: Chair Heidi Margulis

Fueling her passion for change was an upbringing intertwined with her mother’s and grandmother’s escape from the Holocaust, the counsel of her childhood rabbi and other mentors who imparted the timeless wisdom to give back.

Margulis’ Louisville roots were humble but filled with deep family values and high expectations. She flourished academically and then seized the chance to go on an overseas work-study immersion program at UofL after receiving a four-year scholarship.

“The university provided me with a vehicle to secure my education in an area about which I became passionate and allowed me to make the kind of connections which opened doors to my future,” Margulis said.

In summer 1974, she became a Capitol Hill intern, serving during the tumultuous era of the Watergate political scandal. While earning her international studies degree with honors, Margulis worked for Kentucky’s U.S. Sens. Wendell Ford and Dee Huddleston.

Margulis joined Humana in 1985 and retired as chief corporate affairs officer in 2019. During her tenure, she led Humana’s strategy development and execution for government  affairs while also managing its charitable foundation, community engagement and corporate social responsibility initiatives. She also served on federal health advisory panels.

Since retiring, she serves on the Humana Foundation board and UofL Health operating board and chairs both Louisville’s Board of Health and UofL’s School of Public Health and Information Sciences Community Advisory Board.

“I have always been driven by my passion to make a difference in the lives of others less fortunate by ensuring that they have a fair shake in the system,” Margulis said.