Kent Thiry
Kent Thiry is chairman and CEO of DaVita, a FORTUNE 200 company with 75,000 teammates and approximately $14 billion in revenues. The company operates in 11 countries globally, delivering clinically differentiated health care to nearly 2 million patients.
DaVita has been the subject of leadership and culture case studies written by both Harvard and Stanford, and taught in many other schools and programs. Kent sits on the Harvard Business School’s advisory board and is regularly invited to speak on leadership and culture at top business schools, companies and not-for-profit leadership groups.
In 2016 he led Let Colorado Vote, a group that passed two ballot initiatives, one that re- established the presidential primary in Colorado and a second that opens Colorado’s primaries to unaffiliated voters. He is currently leading a redistricting reform initiative, Fair Maps Colorado, as well as a statewide Path to Shared Prosperity blueprint process with a group of CEOs from most of Colorado’s largest companies. He also co-founded The Aspen Group with Senators Bill Frist and Tom Daschle.
Prior to joining DaVita, Kent served in several senior executive roles, including chairman and CEO of Vivra Specialty Partners, a specialty health care company; president and then CEO of Vivra, a NYSE health care service company; and partner at Bain & Company. Prior board seats include the non- executive Chairmanship of Oxford Health Plans.
Kent earned his B.A. in political science, with distinction, from Stanford University, where he also was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, in 1978. He earned his M.B.A., with honors, from Harvard Business School in 1983, where he was also elected to the Century Club.
3 words to describe Nature?
Awesome. Complex. Essential
3 things Nature taught you?
The power of rejuvenation
The power of fresh air
How everything is connected
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Our family cottage in Wisconsin
Colorado rockies
Any place with a mountain bike trail that is far away from the road
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?
Small, in awe, & connected
When you see a forest, it makes you feel…?
Peaceful, hopeful, & it creates in me a higher level of energy
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel…?
Respect, timelessness, a sense of faith, power that is beyond our realm and reach
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel…?
Fulfilled, calm, human
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel…?
Sense of anticipation, respect for the Universe, quiet
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel…?
Depends where I am and the clothes I am wearing. When backpacking I get a sense of excitement, that a challenge is coming. I need to know where safe ground is. It also reminds me the appreciation for the basics - being warm and dry.
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Forest first, mountain second, ocean third.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
9
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Running through the forest in northern Wisconsin.
Chef Niki Nakayama
For Niki Nakayama, the art of cooking all comes down to feeling. Always one to follow her intuition, Nakayama’s instincts guide her path as a chef, and it continues to be the driving force behind every dish she creates. At n/naka, her highly acclaimed restaurant in West Los Angeles, Nakayama secures her place among the foremost chefs in the world of modern kaiseki—a traditional Japanese dining discipline based in gratitude and appreciation that balances taste, texture, and presentation through a progression of dishes served in a meticulous, thoughtfully curated order. For Nakayama, the kaiseki philosophy allows her to show a deep appreciation for the beauty of nature, with the purpose of, “highlighting natural flavors, presenting them in their purest way without over-complication, and serving them how they were meant to be in their peak season.”
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Nakayama began her career at the popular Takao restaurant in Brentwood, following her graduation from culinary school in nearby Pasadena. After embarking on a three-year working tour of Japan immersing herself in the deeply nuanced methods and flavors of both traditional and contemporary Japanese cuisine, including the art of traditional kaiseki, Nakayama returned to her hometown to open Azami Sushi Café on Melrose Avenue.
After eight years—during which she became known for her omakase menu—the chef branched out to host elaborate chef’s table dinners that resulted in Nakayama’s modernized kaiseki dining experience, which has become the signature cuisine of n/naka. As Nakayama describes, “I was ready to put my name on something, ready to take that leap and challenge myself—and ready to take the traditional kaiseki philosophy and make it my own.”
Today, n/naka serves as a global destination for modern kaiseki with a California twist, at which Nakayama serves world-class, artfully curated, and exquisite dishes in a progression designed to reflect the mood of season, time, and place. One of the toughest reservations to get in L.A., n/naka’s books typically fill up three months out, a testament to Nakayama’s resonance in the international culinary world. Critics also take note—the restaurant has appeared on Jonathan Gold’s “101 Best Restaurants” every year since opening in 2013, and continues to catch the attention of media including T Magazine (The New York Times), Eater, Vogue.com, and many more.
Nakayama’s devotion to sustainability also plays out at n/naka, with currently 70% of its ingredients sourced locally—a rarity in Japanese fine dining. At 2017’s Food on Edge symposium in Galway, Ireland, she explained how the pillars of kaiseki, to integrate your surroundings into the cuisine, find harmony with these sustainability initiatives.
Outside of the restaurant, the chef can be found at her Los Angeles home spending time with her wife and their three dogs—a golden retriever, a Chihuahua, and a terrier mix. One of her favorite pastimes, playing guitar, “allows for decompression,” she says, when she steps away from the kitchen.
3 words to describe Nature?
GIVING. VAST. BEAUTIFUL
3 things Nature taught you?
APPRECIATION
GRATITUDE
HUMILITY
3 most treasured Nature spots?
ALL OCEANS, MOUNTAINS, FORESTS
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?
ALIVE AND SMALL
When you see a forest, it makes you feel…?
PEACE
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel…?
WONDER
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel…?
LOVE
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel…?
SCARED
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel…?
WONDER
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
OCEAN
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
THE FIRST TIME I EVER PLAYED IN THE SNOW AT BIG BEAR, I THOUGHT I’D FOUND MAGIC POWDER. EVERY TIME I SEE SNOW, IT REMINDS ME OF HAPPINESS AND HOLIDAYS.
Cherae Robinson
Cheraé Robinson is an entrepreneur, global development expert, DJ, and modern Pan-Africanist who is the founder and CEO of Tastemakers Africa, an experiences marketplace connecting curious travelers to local insiders in African cities. For nearly a decade, Cheraé sat at the nexus between science and partnerships raising visibility and support for large international nonprofit organizations. Her expertise centers on agriculture and public health with an emphasis on women-centered community programs. In this capacity she has spent time at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, and CARE. Cherae was a part of the team that created the Borlaug Institute for South Asia, a $100 Million USD Agricultural research institution in Delhi, India and the Carlos Slim Biotechnology Center, a $80 Million research facility in Texcoco, Mexico. She has traveled and worked in nearly 40 countries.
The winner of the inaugural “She Leads Africa” startup competition, Ms. Robinson has been named one of 10 Emerging Women Entrepreneurs in Africa by Forbes.com, one of 20 to watch by leading Silicon Valley trends group Culture Shift Labs, and a Woman to Watch by the United Nations Foundation and Innov8tive Magazine. Most recently she was named one of "50 People Changing The Way We Travel" by Conde Naste Traveller Magazine.
Cherae is a member Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Morgan State University. She splits her time between Brooklyn, NY and city-hopping the African continent. When not tackling the demands of running a fast-moving startup she spends her time learning every meme she can from her 10 year old son “Trace”
3 words to describe Nature?
Peace. Open. Possibility.
3 things Nature taught you?
Life has a rhythm
The world is much bigger than me
There is a realm to be understood beyond the noise we create
3 most treasured Nature spots?
The Hudson River
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?
At peace
When you see a forest, it makes you feel…?
Curious
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel…?
In awe
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel…?
Alive
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel…?
Nervous
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel…?
On edge
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
An Ocean person
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
9
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
I fell in love with both reading and nature on a summer vacation where I was visiting a friend of the family on Lake Ontario. Each morning I would wake up, read Anne of Green Gables and look out the window at the lake. By sunset I was skipping rocks across the lake after my daily swim. It was a beautiful moment to have as a child
Kody & Kyler McCormick
Brotherly duo, Kody and Kyler McCormick, founder of The Outbound Life, have never been interested in following the crowd. At young ages they set out to live out their dreams of travel, filmmaking, and entrepreneurship. This non-traditional path lead them to learn from some of their biggest heroes on the planet, receive recognition and sponsorship by some of the top brands in their industries, produce content for Fortune 500 brands, and speak on stages all across the country inspiring youth to chase their passions. The brothers have been seen and heard on platforms ranging from TEDx to Forbes, and LinkedIn’s Official Blog.
3 words to describe Nature?
Adventure. Peace. Recalibration
3 things Nature taught you?
To relax
To push my body physically
To live with less
3 most treasured Nature spots?
BC Canada
Northern California
Colorado Rocky Mountains
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?
Small and humbled
When you see a forest, it makes you feel…?
As alive as ever.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel…?
Curious of the science behind it
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel…?
Eager to explore
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel…?
God is in control
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel…?
Determined to push on.
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Mountain/forest
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
I’ll never forget taking ski trips with my family as a kid to Colorado. Beyond the hours spent carving fresh powder, my favorite part has always been to ski to an area where I was alone on the mountain where I could sit down and take in the view. The sounds of the world seem to drown away in the surrounding snow and the crisp air has a way of recalibrating the soul. This has been one of my favorite past times and I make it a point to be alone for awhile on every ski trip.