Richard Davis is the retiring president and CEO of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America. He’s a banker by trade and I’ll detail his background shortly. The foundation he leads, as many of you may know, grants hundreds of thousands of life-changing wishes to children battling critical illnesses. Wishes that give families hope through dark times, maybe the strength to persevere, and hopefully experiences that forever change their lives. I’d like to share some history about this organization as I’m learning it firsthand myself.
Make-A-Wish traces its inspiration to Christopher James Greicius, an energetic 7-year-old boy battling leukemia who wanted to be a police officer. In 1980, his Phoenix community came together to make his wish come true. Little did Chris know that his wish would create a movement that would transform millions of lives. Frank “Bopsy” Salazar is the first official Make-A-Wish kid. He was 7 and had leukemia—just like Chris. So, the Phoenix Fire Department gives Bopsy an experience like Chris’; he becomes a member of the Engine 9 crew. Since the first wish is also the first Disney wish, the Anaheim Fire Department picks up the baton, taking Bopsy and his family around Southern California.
The A list that supports this organization is overwhelming – Nike, Netflix, Southwest Airlines, Mozilla, Walt Disney, multiple sports franchises, food empires, and financial goliaths.
Davis was a bank teller at age 18 and had a meteoric rise by any account. He was sporting Executive Vice President titles in major banking institutions 10 years after getting his undergraduate degree in economics from Cal State Fullerton. He then went on to serve as president of the banking behemoth U.S. Bancorp, from October 2004 to January 2016. If you have a bit of time, a good thirty minutes start to finish to be honest, you should take in this entire podcast (officially released under Corporate Competitor Podcast). I sent it to both of my boys for different reasons – the banter between Don Yaeger as podcast host and Richard Davis as personal friend makes for a one-of-a-kind exchange. Here is the link to the podcast. The podcast in general leans towards former athletes now in corporate life and when Richard gets asked about his proudest early on achievement, he turns the table. Even though he was a standout tennis and basketball player in high school, the moment he recalled was as a band rat in the highest of competitions. If you’re short on time, click the link above and go directly to the 28:30 mark. When Richard was asked to recall a high school sports moment that made him most proud, he toggled and asked to share a performing arts accomplishment instead. His retelling of a state band competition is one I’m not going to attempt to retell – take three minutes and listen to him firsthand – I promise it’s worth it especially when the former CEO of the 5th largest bank in America takes most pride in a high school band competition. He goes on to say practice makes perfect – a familiar mantra at any level of competition.
The final message from Mr. Make-A-Wish: Learn and be curious every step of the way.
What if? Why Not? 