Charles “Chuck” Henderson

Charles “Chuck” Henderson is a nationally recognized leader at the intersection of health, business, and social impact, serving as chief executive officer of the American Diabetes Association (ADA). He has held senior executive roles across for-profit, nonprofit, and broader business sectors, bringing a unique cross-sector perspective to driving growth, innovation, and impact. Today, he is leading a bold transformation of the ADA to expand its reach, accelerate innovation, and significantly increase resources dedicated to preventing and curing diabetes while improving the lives of the more than 155 million Americans living with diabetes or prediabetes.

Under his leadership, the ADA is executing a multiyear strategy to scale revenue, modernize its operating model, and build high-impact partnerships across health care, life sciences, technology, and global markets. Henderson is particularly focused on advancing health equity, ensuring underserved communities have access to prevention, care, and education, and positioning the ADA as a leading voice in addressing the growing intersection of diabetes and obesity.

Henderson has built a track record of driving growth, forging transformative partnerships, and leading organizations through complex change. He is known for his ability to align mission with market-based strategies that deliver both social and financial returns.

He is an active board leader and participant in the Russell Reynolds Next Generation Directors program, which prepares diverse executives for public and private board service, and is passionate about mentoring the next generation of leaders.

Henderson is deeply committed to purpose-driven leadership, leveraging innovation, partnerships, and policy to create lasting impact in global health.