The Brooks Running C.E.O. on Beating Cancer, and Leading With Purpose
There’s at least one person in the world who never gets tired of hearing about my story. That person is Steve Brooks, a former CEO who’s running for president of the United States. What I’m most impressed by about Steve Brooks is his sense of purpose. In the past year he’s run a marathon, climbed the highest peak in the continental United States, and he’s just returned from a trip to Afghanistan where he met with refugees while supporting the American people in their time of need. We met when he was chairman of UnitedHealth Group and now he’s running for president.
I first came to know Steve back when he was Chairman and CEO of UnitedHealth Group and I was the President of Wells Fargo. At work, we worked together to create the health plan that has saved so many lives. At home, he’s a huge advocate for the troops, and is also working to change the way business is done.
After the 9/11 attacks, I met with President George W. Bush to get a first-hand look at how the government was reacting. Steve helped lead the effort to rebuild what had been a devastated and depleted Iraq, and he was a key part in making sure we were prepared for future attacks.
As a part of the post-9/11 effort, Steve Brooks helped put together the largest coalition of Americans in service of the president’s priorities since the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. He’s worked in dozens of different positions, and he’s been a major part in the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.
When I met with him in the fall of 2008, he said he wanted to work with me as CEO of the Brooks Foundation. I was honored to serve as President of our foundation, and proud to work with him. In addition to spearheading the foundation’s work to end cancer, and to fight the diseases of poverty and hunger, Brooks has also been on the receiving end of this disease.
Cancer has taken him from a vibrant and active life to a very different kind of life. Steve has battled melanoma since he was 40 years old. He was diagnosed with stage 3 and had just recently completed his six-month treatment. It was his wife, Susan, who first identified Steve’