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Humana Inc.

Managed healthcare and health insuranceFounded 1961
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Founders

Who Founded Humana?

Wendell Cherry, David A. Jones Sr. · Founded 1961 · HQ today: Louisville, Kentucky

Who founded Humana?

Humana was founded by Wendell Cherry, David A. Jones Sr. in 1961. It is now led by James A. (Jim) Rechtin.

Founders
Wendell Cherry, David A. Jones Sr.
Founded
1961
Headquarters
Louisville, Kentucky
Number of founders
2
Current CEO
James A. (Jim) Rechtin (since 2024)
Where was Humana founded?
Humana was founded in Louisville, Kentucky in 1961.
When was Humana founded?
Humana was founded in 1961.
Who started Humana?
Humana was founded by Wendell Cherry and David A. Jones Sr.
How old is Humana?
Humana is 65 years old as of 2026.

Founding Story

Humana began in 1961 when Louisville lawyers David A. Jones Sr. and Wendell Cherry opened a nursing home called Heritage House. The business grew into Extendicare, which became the largest U.S. nursing home chain and went public in 1968. In the early 1970s the founders sold the nursing homes to focus on hospitals, renaming the company Humana in 1974. Humana launched health plans in the 1980s, and in 1993 it spun off its hospitals as Galen Health Care, which soon merged with Columbia Hospital Corporation. That left Humana as a pure health benefits company.

Wendell Cherry

Co-founder 1961

Background

Wendell Cherry (1935-1991) was a Louisville lawyer who co-founded the company with David A. Jones Sr. in 1961 and served as Humana's president. He was known as the dealmaker and financier behind the company's expansion from nursing homes into hospitals.

Role at Humana Inc.

Wendell Cherry and his law-school classmate David A. Jones Sr. each put in about $1,000 to open the Heritage House nursing home in Louisville in 1961. The venture grew into Extendicare, the largest nursing home chain in the U.S., and went public in 1968. Cherry helped lead the early-1970s move out of nursing homes and into hospitals, and the company was renamed Humana in 1974. He served as president until his death in 1991, shortly before Humana separated its hospitals from its health plan business.

Education: University of Kentucky College of Law. Wendell Cherry was born in 1935.

David A. Jones Sr.

Co-founder 1961

Background

David A. Jones Sr. (1931-2019) was a Louisville lawyer and accountant who co-founded Humana with Wendell Cherry in 1961 and served as its CEO for 36 years, until 1997, and later as chairman. His son, David A. Jones Jr., later served as Humana's chairman.

Role at Humana Inc.

David A. Jones Sr. led Humana through each of its major pivots: from nursing homes (Extendicare) to hospitals in the 1970s, into health plans in the 1980s, and to a pure health benefits company after the 1993 spin-off of its hospitals as Galen Health Care. He stepped down as CEO in 1997 and remained a major Louisville philanthropist until his death in 2019. David A. Jones Sr. was born in 1931.

Humana Inc.: CEO & Leadership History

Full timeline →

Celeste Mellet

Chief Financial Officer

2025 – Present

Appointed CFO in 2023, she manages the severe financial fallout resulting from the US government's unexpected cuts to Medicare Advantage reimbursement rates.

James A. (Jim) Rechtin

President and Chief Executive Officer

2024 – Present

Under Rechtin, Humana grew Medicare Advantage membership by more than 1 million for 2026 while planning exits covering about 600,000 members for 2027 to restore margins.

Bruce Broussard

Former Chief Executive Officer

2013 – 2024

Broussard led Humana from 2013 to 2024, growing Medicare Advantage membership, creating the CenterWell brand, and completing the 2021 Kindred at Home acquisition.

Michael B. McCallister

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

2000 – 2012

Medicare became the main source of Humana revenue under him. Bruce Broussard succeeded him at the start of 2013.

David A. Jones Sr.

Co-founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

1961 – 1997

Humana spun off its hospitals in 1993 to become a health insurer. He stepped down as chief executive in 1997 and remained chairman until 2005.

Keep researching Humana

Who Founded Humana? FAQ

Who founded Humana and in what year was the company established?

Humana was founded in 1961 in Louisville, Kentucky, by young attorneys and entrepreneurs David A. Jones Sr. and C. Wendell Cherry under the original corporate name Extendicare.

What was Extendicare's original business when founded in 1961?

Extendicare was founded as a modest nursing home operator, opening its first single facility in Louisville, Kentucky. Jones and Cherry invested $1,000 each to build a high-quality nursing home business before recognizing greater opportunities in acute-care hospitals.

How did Extendicare pivot into hospitals and adopt the name 'Humana' in the 1970s?

In 1972, Jones and Cherry sold all their nursing homes to focus entirely on building and operating acute-care hospitals. In 1974, they rebranded the company as Humana Inc. (derived from 'humanity' and 'caring'), growing it into the largest hospital company in the world by the 1980s.

What breakthrough artificial heart research did Humana sponsor in the 1980s?

Under David A. Jones Sr., Humana funded the groundbreaking artificial heart implant research of Dr. William DeVries and Dr. Robert Jarvik at Humana Hospital Audubon in Louisville, capturing worldwide media attention with the historic Jarvik-7 implants.

What prompted the founders' second radical corporate pivot into health insurance in 1984?

In 1984, when commercial health insurers began restricting patient admissions to Humana hospitals, Jones and Cherry launched their own health insurance plan. When tensions between insurance operations and hospital doctors intensified, Humana spun off all 76 of its hospitals in 1993 (into Galen Health Care / Columbia/HCA) to become a pure-play health insurer.

Who was C. Wendell Cherry and what was his contribution to Humana and the arts?

C. Wendell Cherry was Humana's co-founder and President until his passing in 1991. A effective legal mind, entrepreneur, and prominent arts patron, Cherry helped design Humana's innovative hospital architecture and championed downtown Louisville's cultural revitalization.

How did David A. Jones Sr. shape the architectural landscape of Louisville, Kentucky?

In 1985, Jones commissioned renowned architect Michael Graves to build the 27-story postmodern Humana Building on Main Street in Louisville, which became an internationally celebrated architectural landmark and revitalized the city's urban center.

What enduring philanthropic and civic legacy did the founders leave behind?

The founders established major philanthropic endowments in Louisville, creating the Parklands of Floyds Fork (a 4,000-acre public park system), funding medical research at the University of Louisville, and supporting education through the Humana Foundation.

Who founded Humana?

It was founded by David A. Jones and Wendell Cherry. They were highly influential civic leaders in Louisville. David Jones in particular was known as a massive philanthropist who essentially single-handedly funded the modernization of Louisville's public parks and education systems, using the massive wealth generated by Humana's incredible corporate success.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.