Menu
Warren
Remembering Warren Wertheimer
By Lisa Markey, June 2019
Warren served on the Board of People with Disabilities Succeeding (PDS) for 20 years, from 1999 to 2019.
Warren taught me to be a benevolent yet firm leader, encouraging me to listen to my intuition and heart in making decisions for PDS. Drawing on lessons from The Secret and A Course in Miracles, he gave me two guiding principles I hold dear: “If it’s not an absolute yes, then it’s a no,” and, when facing hard choices, “Do that which is most loving.”
In 1998, Warren—then a self-described millionaire and owner of Rolling Hills Club in Novato—read an article about me in the Marin Independent Journal and reached out. I was in my 20s, running Pacific Diversified Services, which was struggling. When he invited me to his club, I put on my most professional attire but thought to myself, “Uh-oh, this guy is going to hit on me.”
Instead, I was met with nothing but kindness and curiosity. Warren was genuinely interested in my passion and my mission—no ulterior motive.
After I shared the story of PDS, he asked with sincerity, “How can I help?” I hesitated, suggesting perhaps a donation. He smiled and encouraged me to think more creatively. He then asked, “How can I really help?”
I proposed that Rolling Hills Club hire a PDS participant with disabilities to collect used towels and do laundry. Without hesitation, he said, “Consider it done. What else?” By the end of the meeting, I had a free membership to the club, a job opportunity for a PDS participant, a personally guaranteed line of credit for PDS, and Warren agreed to join our board.
In those early days, Warren was the only board member who truly understood financial statements—because he’d actually run a business. But more importantly, he transformed our mindset. When we proposed raising $30,000, Warren challenged us: “Nonsense, make it $100,000!” His belief in our potential shifted everything.
Warren changed me as much as he changed the organization. He laughed at stories about PDS participants, always participated in the mission, and even surprised us with tickets to Cirque du Soleil’s O when we went to Las Vegas.
Because of Warren, I live by “If it’s not an absolute yes, then it’s a no” and “Do that which is most loving.” Thanks to mentors like him who believed in me decades ago, People with Disabilities Succeeding thrives today.
To learn more about Warren’s wisdom, I highly recommend Outrageous Ideas That Work in Business. It’s a management book about creating joy and ethical excellence in the workplace—and I’m fortunate to own signed copies that I treasure.
Amazon Link: