A Newsletter for Friends and Alumni of the University of Washington
Volunteer Spotlight: Max Gellert, UW Bothell campaign chair

A friend of the University of Washington for more than a quarter of a century, Max Gellert is quick to answer a call for help, especially when education is involved.

When Gellert was CEO of the Lynnwood aerospace manufacturer Eldec Corp. in the 1980s, he received an urgent request from the industry trade group American Electronics Association. It asked its members to help strengthen engineering departments at American universities. In response, Gellert and his company began supporting the UW College of Engineering. When Gellert retired in 1994, Eldec created the Max E. Gellert Fellowship in Engineering in his honor.

Gellert’s involvement with UW Bothell, where he serves as campaign chair and an advisory board member, also began with a simple request. Soon after Gellert’s retirement, Rod Proctor, one of the original members of the UW Bothell Advisory Committee, asked Gellert if he’d like to join. He’s been involved ever since.

Gellert has witnessed UW Bothell’s rapid growth. “We started as a two-year school, mainly focusing on arts and sciences,” Gellert says. “Now the campus is a four-year institution, admitting its first freshman class this past fall, and it offers additional degrees in nursing, computing science, education and business. The faculty always has been very good and very dedicated.”
With Gellert at the helm of UW Bothell’s campaign, the campus has been strengthened by the support of many generous donors. Endowments such as the Richard and Lois Worthington Foundation Endowment for Technology, supporting faculty and students in technology fields, have helped UW Bothell enrich its programs.

In addition to his work with UW Bothell, Gellert also serves on the College of Engineering’s visiting and development committees and on the School of Music’s visiting committee. “There’s a lot of excellence in every department,” he says.

For more on UW Bothell, visit www.uwb.edu.

Return to Spring 2007 Campaign Newsletter