If you walk into the office of the chief financial officer at Avista Adventist Hospital expecting to find a seasoned, gray-haired individual with years of experience, the fresh face of 28-year-old Brent Davis will likely surprise you.
Brent has held the responsible position of CFO since September of last year. Avista, a 114-bed full-service medical center located in Louisville, Colorado, is one of five Adventist hospitals “extending the healing ministry of Christ” to the northwest Denver and Boulder communities. Brent is thrilled to be part of that mission.
If you ask him how challenging it is to maneuver as a leader in an environment where most of his colleagues are twice his age, Brent will tell you that he brings his A-game to work each day. He’s also quick to add that he feels completely accepted and supported, and that working in the Adventist Health System is a very nurturing environment.
“I feel like my peers and colleagues are cheering for me and looking for me to succeed, rather than expecting me to fail,” says Brent, “and that makes working here a joy.”
Brent’s fast-track career got a turbo charge while studying accounting at Walla Walla University School of Business. He secured a summer internship for Adventist Health West after his sophomore year and interned for Ernst & Young the summer between his junior and senior years. The second internship led to his first job out of college as an auditor for Ernst & Young in the Sacramento and Bay areas. After three years with that company, Brent got a call from a friend at Adventist Health West asking him to work as director of finance for Simi Valley Hospital. Simi Valley exposed Brent to the inner workings of a hospital, and he learned firsthand how budgeting, revenue cycles, decision support, and other corporate financial pieces come together.
After his three years in Simi Valley, the CFO position opened up at Avista. Again, because of his experience and industry connections Brent’s name came up, and he ultimately was invited to serve in Colorado.
It might be unusual to consider it ministry to work in hospital finance, but Brent definitely feels like he has been called to God’s service in that capacity.
“I remember being in college and thinking about how people assume that ministry-minded people take majors like theology, education or medicine—that those are the kind of jobs Jesus would do,” he shares. “If you are studying business, you can feel like you’re less than service-minded—that you only care about making money. But I’m a big believer that God can use us anywhere. He needs godly people in banks or on Wall Street, or in a public accounting firm.”
Brent takes advantage of opportunities to reach beyond the walls of the hospital through involvement in community organizations like Rotary International. By rolling up his sleeves and working alongside other community-minded individuals, he has been able to share his faith in tangible ways outside the Adventist bubble.
“In those situations,” says Brent, “you not only want to represent your organization well, but you also want to represent your faith well. What does that mean in Boulder County? How do you put relevance to your faith? And that’s the cool thing about working in Adventist healthcare. You are providing a real service to the community by not only caring for the sick, but also by nurturing the health of our community.”
Along with this new job, Brent recently celebrated another milestone. In August he and his bride, Angela, were married. They both enjoy being surrounded by the beauty of Colorado.
To other young people considering the possibility of devoting their lives to service, Brent says, “Get an internship. Work hard. Listen a lot. Ask a lot of questions. Learn tangible skills. And be willing to start with anything to get your foot in the door. If you are willing to let God lead you, He definitely will.”
This article originally appeared in the October 2014 issue of OUTLOOK. It was submitted by Stephen King, senior vice president for the Rocky Mountain Adventist Health/Centura Health, where he serves the five Adventist hospital campuses in Colorado. It was written by Mark Bond.
