Donor Spotlight: Larry Cimino

Indiana Humanities thrives because of the generosity of our donors—individuals and corporate supporters alike—who help us bring the humanities to life across the state. Their contributions fuel public programs, fund grants, and provide Indiana communities with meaningful opportunities to think, read, and talk. To celebrate their impact, we’re spotlighting the donors who make our work possible, going behind the gift and sharing their stories.  

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“The show must go on.”  

That was the lesson Larry Cimino learned in his first job after earning his degree in English literature from the University of Toronto. The job? Serving as a press agent for a tented three-ring circus—a role that soon evolved into director of marketing and public relations.  

It may have seemed like an unconventional beginning for someone who would go on to lead philanthropic initiatives, serve on national and international boards, and advise on global mental health policy. But years later, when Larry retired in 2007 after a 32-year career at Eli Lilly and Company, he still credited his circus boss with teaching him everything he needed to know about life, including one guiding principle: when in doubt, the show must go on.  

It’s a mindset he brings to his support of Indiana Humanities. In a rapidly changing world, Larry believes the humanities help us navigate complexity, make sense of our differences, and find common ground. In that way, he understands that the humanities are essential to keeping the “show” of civil society going.  

“While STEM education is very important and top of mind for many people, it is the skills we learn through the humanities that help us to understand and articulate the implications of technological advancement,” Larry said. “Through the humanities, we enhance communication and understanding among people. [The humanities] are the foundation of a civil society.”  

Larry served on the Indiana Humanities board of directors for seven years. During that time, he helped support programs that deepened Hoosiers’ understanding of immigrant heritage and created space for meaningful cross-cultural exchange for a project called Germany in US.  

“We helped pave the way for international corporations to invest and seamlessly integrate into Indiana communities by creating forums that helped those communities learn about, understand, and talk to the arriving workers and families,” he said. 

In recent years, he’s especially enjoyed the Chew on This discussions, which invite Hoosiers to gather over a meal and wrestle with issues that unite and sometimes divide us.  

To Larry, programs like these are not just intellectually enriching—they’re vital. 

As president of ProConsult, a global management and logistics consultancy, and through leadership roles with the Dialogue on Diabetes and Depression, the World Federation for Mental Health, the Indiana Council on World Affairs, and a foundation in Geneva, Switzerland, that focuses on global mental health, Larry has long worked at the intersection of public health and global development. This experience has given him insight into the emotional and social challenges many people face—and the critical role Indiana Humanities plays in addressing them.  

“The Indiana Humanities programs that encourage Hoosiers to read, think, then talk to each other not only enhance civility within our state,” he said, “but also help to address problems of isolation and loneliness that are epidemic in our society.” 

With funding challenges, Larry feels even more urgency to give. In addition to his annual support, he encourages friends to donate to Indiana Humanities in his honor on his birthday. 

“The humanities enhance and unleash creative power in our communities,” Larry said. “And Indiana Humanities now needs us to focus that creativity on new ways to support their outstanding programs.”