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David Kent ’00 ??? Captain, Swim Team

What was your career path after Wabash?
DK – After graduating in 2000, I entered Consolidated Freightways (CF) Management Training Program. The six-month program - allowed me to see the company from all perspectives. I was able to gain a fuller appreciation for how all the different divisions compliment each other. After finishing the program, I took a job in sales in Lexington, Kentucky with the same company. During my time at CF, the company had trouble competing because our operational costs were much higher than our competitors. This situation offered me the opportunity to take a job as an internal consultant. I basically flew around the United States to our largest sites and implemented the necessary cost cutting and management training measures. I really enjoyed this role because I was making significant changes in the short term that would position the company for long term growth, something that I recommend all Wabash students and grads strive to do. Currently, I am Director of New Business Development for Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

What is Cancer Treatment Centers of America?
DK- We treat late stage cancer patients with a revolutionary standard of care, "the mother standard", whereby every patient is treated as if they were our mothers. Our founder, Wabash grad Richard Stephenson, made this his personal mission in life after his own mother was taken by cancer. Although a businessman, he saw how ineffective traditional treatments coupled with an overall healthcare delivery system that did not put patients wants and needs at the center of focus made for a fragmented and often ineffective approach to care for someone who has cancer.. Our basic approach is to treat patients with a blend of traditional and alternative therapies so that we can heal the mind, body, and spirit; cancer affects all of those. All of our doctors rely on each other – we have every kind of specialist you could need under one roof. We treat patients with cutting edge technology and have seen tremendous success.

What advice do you have for students?
DK- Make an impact in the short term, but understand the big picture. Take advantage of every learning opportunity you can get at Wabash. Try to explore and embrace all academic areas, regardless of your major and minor. I was a speech major, which was the perfect major for me and my natural abilities, but I wish I would have taken some more Econ classes. Try to diversify your education as much as possible to expand your ability to understand different subject material and how that material shapes people’s view of the world. That’s what liberal arts is all about, and it applies directly to what I did at Consolidated Freightways and what I’m doing at CTCA. I was able to step back and look at the whole picture – to see all sides of the business model.