Biography                                                                 Joseph C. Mello                                joe.mello@davita.com                              Chief Operating Officer                                        DaVita Inc.

Joe Mello has been Chief Operating Officer of DaVita since June, 2000. He joined the company in the very early stages of a significant financial and operational turnaround. DaVita is a leading provider of dialysis services for patients suffering from chronic kidney failure. The Company provides services at kidney dialysis centers and home peritoneal dialysis programs domestically in 42 states, as well as Washington, D.C. As of December 31, 2006, DaVita operated or managed over 1,300 outpatient facilities serving approximately 103,000 patients.

As COO, Joe has responsibility for all operating units, IT, Nursing Services & Recruitment, DaVita University and Academy, Clinical Operations, Compliance Operations, BioMed Services, Reimbursement Operations, and People Services (our moniker for Human Resources).

Prior to DaVita, Joe was President and CEO of Vivra Asthma & Allergy, the nation’s largest single specialty PPM focused on chronic respiratory disease. In addition, Joe held various management positions with MedPartners (through its acquisition of Caremark) including senior vice president/chief operating officer – southeastern region. Prior thereto, he was a partner in the healthcare consulting practice of KPMG for ten years.

Joe holds an MBA in Finance from Golden Gate University and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech. He resides in La Quinta, California.