Kelsey Valente

Redwoods Analyst 2017
Division Finance Manager – Dream Team

Being a DaVita teammate continues to teach me to be a better partner, daughter, sister, boss, caregiver and professional. I love that as a leader I am encouraged to put people first, always.

Being paired with a mentor in operations, it was a great way to learn about careers in the field from someone on the front lines. I started in DaVita International in Colombia as an operations project coordinator with little professional experience. My leaders pushed me to grow, giving me stretch projects and ultimately nominating me for the Redwoods Analyst Program. Through Redwoods I was able to learn finance in real-time on Team DART in Denver. Having a mentor and career resources through the Redwoods Program and Team DART propelled me into a field position as a facility administrator.

What has been most impactful to me was being able to restructure patient transportation for DaVita Colombia. It afforded me the opportunity to work with facility administrators, social workers and patients for the first time. It was then I learned I wanted to be an operator. Through that program, more patients received transportation that worked for their individual needs, which led to a decrease in missed treatments. It also proved to be financially healthier for the Village. A real win-win.

My advice to candidates: Ask all of the questions. Set up all of the coffee chats. Utilize your mentor.

I received my undergrad degree at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor in linguistics.

Fun fact: I have eight siblings; seven brothers and one sister.

DaVita Journey: Project Coordinator, DaVita Columbia > Redwoods Analyst > Facility Administrator > Division Finance Manager