Joan Humes, recently retired as vice president and chief deputy general counsel for corporate functions at Medtronic in Minneapolis, Minnesota, credits her background that blends training as a lawyer, government and corporate work and her early career in social work for her leadership philosophy.

“Because I was already older in law school and a social worker, I think I had a natural interest and proclivity in making people succeed,” Humes said.

Humes grew up in Minnesota, where she has lived her whole life. Her father was an aeronautical engineer and her mother was a stay-at-home mom. Prior to attending law school, Humes said, she worked as a social worker and ran an arts wholesale business with a couple of friends. Once in a while, she had to talk to a lawyer, which Humes said sparked her interest in a career in the law. “I thought I could do that,” she said.

When she began her studies at the University of Minnesota Law School, Humes had two children, ages 3 and 5, whom she sometimes took with her to classes. Her children knew their mother worked hard on her law school studies. “My daughter drew pictures showing Mom next to a stack of books,” Humes recalled. However, her family responsibilities did not dampen Humes' enthusiasm for the law. As she explained, “I totally got the fever.”

After graduating from law school in 1990, Humes served as a law clerk for James M. Rosenbaum, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, before joining the Minnesota Attorney General's Office and then the U.S. Attorney's Office, where she worked for 12 years.

In 2006, Humes joined Ovations, a UnitedHealth Group company, and became GC of UnitedHealth Groups' public and senior markets group in 2008. In 2010, Humes joined Medtronic as vice president for government and internal investigations. Operating in more than 160 countries with more than 370 locations, Medtronic provides medical technology, services and solutions. Humes became Medtronic's chief deputy general counsel in 2015 and managed litigation, regulatory and all shared functions of her department until her retirement in October. The company has benefitted significantly from her leadership. When Humes joined Medtronic, the company had 45,000 employees. The company increased to 85,000 employees after it acquired surgical supplier Covidien in 2015. After the acquisition, Humes worked with her leadership team to implement a shared services model within the legal department, transforming the way legal services and support are provided throughout the combined companies and reducing the inevitable segmentation and operational conflict that can occur.

“We brought the two teams together for a number of working sessions to optimize our structure and make sure we did no harm, preserving best practices and only making changes where efficiencies were obvious. We took our time; we are still evolving. It's a culture of continuous improvement,” Humes said.

Perry Sekus, Medtronic VP for legal operations and risk management, said he has worked with Humes at the U.S. Department of Justice, UnitedHealth Group and Medtronic for more than 10 years. “I would follow Joan anywhere: she inspires me to be a better person, colleague and team member. Her contributions to her team, her community and her family are inspiring,” he said. Sekus said he has seen Humes mentor and advance many women and minorities, including outside of her work. “She seeks out top talent to help them to advance in their careers. People also seek out Joan based on her reputation as an exceptional mentor. She helps people map out their goals, she provides those she mentors with career opportunities, and she encourages them to step out of their comfort zones when necessary.”

Humes also spent 12 years as an adjunct professor at William Mitchell College of Law, teaching pretrial civil litigation. Now retired, Humes is looking forward to spending time with her husband, Jim, in a home they have on Lake Superior.