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MEET AND GREET NAME: Catherine Flax AGE: 53 KNOWN FOR: The former Tulsan manages Pefin, the world’s first artificial intelligencebased financial advisor. The company is based in New York City.
TULSA PROUD
Dari Nowkhah stays grounded despite success and tragedy. STORIES BY JOSEPH PRICE
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ulsans tuning in to ESPN might recognize a prominent anchor as one of their own. Dari Nowkhah, a Tulsa native, has hosted numerous programs for the network over his career. Nowkhah currently hosts SEC Now, a daily show that covers college athletics in the Southeastern Conference. “I’ve been a college sports fanatic for as long as I can remember,” says Nowkhah, who grew up playing baseball, basketball, soccer and hockey. “I think growing up in Tulsa had a lot to do with that. I grew up going to Tulsa basketball and football games as well as OU football games with my dad and grandfather.” Nowkhah later earned his bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism at the University of Oklahoma. Just before coming to ESPN, he was a sports anchor and reporter at Tulsa’s KOTV News on 6, from 2002-04. He joined ESPN in June 2004 as an ESPNEWS anchor and in August 2011 was named the host of
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TulsaPeople MAY 2018
ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network based out of ESPN’s studios in Charlotte, North Carolina. Shortly after, the Nowkhah family lost a child, Hayden, at 39 days old due to a virus that attacked his heart. “He was so brave and such a fighter that we knew we had to continue Hayden’s legacy,” Nowkhah says. He and his wife, Jennifer, later partnered with the Children’s Organ Transplant Association to form Hayden’s Hope, a foundation that raises awareness for pediatric organ donation and raises funds to assist families of children awaiting life-saving organ transplants. “To date, we have raised over a quarter of a million dollars and helped nearly 40 families in just over six years,” Nowkhah says. Throughout tragedies and his accomplished career, Nowkhah remembers his Tulsa roots. “There is so much pride about being from Tulsa,” he says. “I try to represent Tulsa well in anything I do, wherever I am.” TP
On the AI effect: Over time, Pefin learns from the user’s unique spending behavior and personal preferences and automatically adapts, updating the user’s financial plans and advice based on their actual behavior. On democratization of financial management: We provide affordable, holistic, fiduciary financial advice, which has historically only been available to the “1 percent.” Pefin is an affordable and practical solution at $10 per month. On the challenges of running a startup: There are much fewer resources in a startup, so being able to flex between detailed, tactical execution and strategic direction very quickly is essential. On finding your calling: Really think about where is that intersection between what you love, what you are good at, and what someone will pay you to do. On that note: Work hard. Really, really hard. There is no substitute for hard work, and I have never met a successful person who doesn’t work ridiculously hard.
ROOTS: PHIL ELLSWORTH/ESPN IMAGES; MEET AND GREET: COURTESY PEFIN
Dari Nowkhah, pictured on the set of SEC Now, and his wife, Jennifer, live in Charlotte, North Carolina, with their three children, Nicolas, Nahla and Leighton, ages 5-12.
On how Pefin works: Individuals and families connect financial information such as their checking accounts, credit card accounts, debt, investments and retirement plans to the platform. An interactive chat experience helps users plan for life events that matter to them — from kids, to college, to a new home, to changing jobs, all the way through retirement. Pefin’s AI uses this information to craft a thorough financial plan for each user.