Page 26 - ChildArt_2021.Q1_Global Creative Leaders

26 CHILDART GLOBAL CREATIVE LEADERS
ENGINEERING
THE FUTURE
DR. RON D’VARI
CEO
NEWOAK
NEW YORK CITY
One of the most important fundamental mathematical
concepts we learn in school is the Pythagorean
Theorem. While at first we practice this concept
to find the missing side of a triangle in geometry
class, we later learn that it has many more real
life applications. These can range from using the
formula in architecture or navigation, to the making of
video games, and so much more. By using problem
solving and creativity, individuals have found this one
concept to be useful and applicable in many fields.
Dr. Ron D’Vari is a leader whose love for solving
math puzzles began in the classroom at a young
age and led to eventually working in the field
of financial engineering. When he was a student
in Tehran, Iran, Ron realized he had to be always
prepared for when the teacher would call on him
to come to the board to solve a problem. With his
particular passion for trigonometry as it involved
DR. RON D’VARI ENGINEERING THE FUTURE
shapes, proof, and forms, he earned the nickname
of ‘Future Pythagoras’ from his eighth-grade teacher.
Ron gained admission to a prestigious technical
university to study engineering, a highly desired field
in a country that was growing rapidly. As the political
atmosphere in Iran grew tense, Ron decided to study
in the United States instead. He completed his BS,
MS and PhD in engineering at UCLA before joining
Boeing Corporation, only to return to UCLA after a
few years for an MBA with a concentration in finance.
He was one of the early “financial engineers” to
join Wall Street, where he worked with BlackRock,
weathered the 2007 financial crisis, and then
founded NewOak Capital, a financial services
company in New York City.
Through his life experiences, Ron has come to
understand the importance of exercising one’s
JAN-MAR 2021 27
RON D’VARI
options and understanding when it is time to Hall. Now he lives in New York and still frequents
transition into something new. Rather than being museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
married to an idea, he emphasizes flexibility.
He describes his work as creating a “LEGO kit of An optimist, Ron prioritizes looking at the bright
side of situations even when solutions seem
finance”—putting together the right building blocks difficult to find. Considering the increased use
for credit, assets, risk, or compliance. “Finance and of technology during the COVID-19 pandemic he
engineering are actually very close; it’s a game of says students will learn to “use tools they may have
modeling and projections.” Since he also works on avoided for a long time and they will learn to use
them before being afraid of them. It’s sort of like the
derivatives, he compares his life to “a series of ten-
year options. At every one of my jumping points, I first time you jump off a diving board. It’s scary, but
gave it a lot of thought. If you’re not thinking about once you do that, you want to do that every day. Kids
your choices, you’re giving an option away.” will have the ability to look at a virtual world that was
coming, but now in a much faster way.” Furthermore,
As a boy, Ron was motivated by his mother to perseverance is important to him. He lost both his
enter a national art contest where he chose to
parents at a young age. Having a strong sense of
draw using charcoal. He had a strong interest in purpose combined with the ability to adapt to change
drawing portraits. As an adult, when he lived in Los with optimism and innovation is what makes Ron an
Angeles, he and his wife donated to the Los Angeles exemplary global creative leader.
County Museum of Art, as well as the Disney Music
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