Tom Waldron of Seattle, CEO and Founder of Waldron, born September 22, 1949, was a philanthropist, loving husband, father, and loyal friend. He passed away on September 15, 2017, surrounded by family. He is survived by his loving wife Pamela of 35 years and two adult children, Paige and Andrew. He leaves behind a large family, close friends, and colleagues.
Tom served as a member of the Evans School Advisory Board starting in 2013, and as Co-Chair of the $50 million Campaign for the Evans School. In May 2017, Tom was appointed Chair of the Evans School Advisory Board.
Tom was an entrepreneur at heart. He started his company in 1983 and grew it to become one of the most prominent and well-respected consulting firms in the country, with offices across the Western U.S. and a dedicated team of colleagues who will carry on Tom’s legacy of innovation, leadership, and focus on the social sector.
Tom Waldron made a unique mark on all that he touched with his passion, innovative energy, creativity, generosity of spirit, empathy and compassion. There was nothing in which Tom involved himself that wasn’t better for his participation and benefitted from his ever-fresh perspective. It was important to Tom to always stay in front, constantly reading, researching, connecting with those he admired, challenging the status quo and feeding his intellectual curiosity. This translated into all aspects of his life, whether being a loving spouse, an adoring father, a great business partner, an athlete, a trusted counselor, coach and advisor, a social-impact focused philanthropist, or simply just being a good man.
Tom had an unwavering belief that success in life meant helping others. He and his wife, Pamela, were consistently engaged in local and global philanthropic endeavors, including Tom’s service on the boards of the University of Washington Foundation, The Evans School, Global Partnerships, Pro Mujer, Seattle International Foundation, the Burke Museum, and many others.
He embraced people from all walks of life, all cultures, races, orientations, gender identifications, and socio-economic backgrounds, and both through his work and his volunteerism, he impacted virtually every important community issue as well as national and global efforts to improve health and alleviate poverty. His core values have been expressed though his work; our world benefits from his impact in bringing forth great leaders and greater leadership diversity in its public, private and social sector organizations, a fact of which he was very proud.
He was fiercely competitive, with an unstoppable will and endless tenacity; there was no problem he wouldn’t courageously step up to address, and in fact he embraced developing solutions to difficult problems. He always sought outcomes in alignment with his strong values; this is a part of the legacy he leaves to us now.
Tom’s love for life also extended to the outdoors, where he was an avid boater, sailor, water and snow skier, tennis player, and golfer.
He will be missed for his passion, honesty, and ability to bring out the best in everyone around him. May his memory be a blessing.