About our Founder,
Tom Waldron – In Memoriam
Our Founder
Waldron was founded in 1983 in Seattle Washington by Tom Waldron as a small regional boutique executive search and career transition firm. Over the years, the firm has grown to serve a global set of clients in the private sector and government, and a world-changing set of social impact organizations serving humanity across the globe.
Tom passed away on Friday, September 15, 2017 after a very private and short battle with cancer. He died peacefully and surrounded by family.
Let us celebrate a life lived to the betterment of family, friends, business associates and our community, while we also mourn in sadness a life taken way too soon. We have lost a truly special colleague and mentor from the firm that bears his name and the community he called home. 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.
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, you have touched us all, made us better for our association; we thank you, miss you, and carry on the impact work we shared and love.