Kent J. Thiry led a healthcare company from the brink of bankruptcy to the Fortune 500.
He’s created nonprofits and civic organizations focused on positive changes that directly impact individuals and communities. As an architect of good government initiatives, Thiry has helped shape public policy so more Americans are included within the democratic process.
All of his endeavors have one thing in common: They are intended to have a systemic impact.
Kent Thiry was CEO of DaVita, a healthcare company providing life-saving kidney care for patients suffering from chronic kidney failure or end stage renal disease, from 1999 to 2019. His unconventional leadership and successful restructuring plan catapulted the company from the brink of bankruptcy to the Fortune 500 list while simultaneously leading the industry in patient clinical outcomes.
Kent’s leadership was highly teammate (or employee) centered. During his tenure at DaVita, which grew to include over 65,000 employees in 12 countries, Kent instituted an unusual array of employee friendly programs to create a sense of community, offer personal and professional growth opportunities, and ultimately contribute to each teammate realizing their full potential along life’s journey.
Kent, along with his team, transformed the DaVita workplace into a community with shared responsibility, grew revenues 11-fold, and fulfilled his pledge to make DaVita one of the first Fortune 500 companies to have a majority diverse board. As a result, DaVita emerged as the leading clinical innovator in the kidney care community, as well as leading clinical outcomes in every country it provided care.
DaVita’s success prompted both Harvard and Stanford to write leadership and work culture case studies on the company. Today, DaVita is known for a distinctively engaged work culture and developing well-rounded general managers and leaders. Kent is regularly invited to speak on these subjects at top universities, companies, and not-for-profit leadership groups.
Since stepping down as Executive Chair of DaVita in June 2020, Kent has continued his hands-on involvement in nonprofits and civic groups that primarily focus on economic mobility, education, the environment, democracy renewal, healthcare and community leadership.
Kent currently serves as co-chair of Unite America, a philanthropic venture fund that invests in nonpartisan election reform to foster a more representative and functional government.
Kent Thiry graduated with honors in political science at Stanford University, where he was a member of the school’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter. He later earned his MBA, with honors, from Harvard Business School.
One of six children, Kent J. Thiry, grew up in the small town of Mequon, Wisconsin with his father, a partner in the information systems division of a large accounting firm, and his mother, who was a stay-at-home mom. He was taught to be disciplined, study hard, and give every endeavor his best. Kent Thiry was continually inspired by the regular people making a hands-on difference in the community. Kent Thiry and his wife Denise O’Leary have two adult children and live in Colorado.
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