Creative Thought Matters Award of Distinction

CREATIVE THOUGHT MATTERS Award of Distinction

PATRICIA PASSMORE ALLEY ’72

Honors an alumna/alumnus whose innovative, creative contributions to the greater good inspire or enlighten the lives of others. Throughout Skidmore’s history, the College has challenged itself to make no small plans, and this award recognizes an individual who demonstrates this enthusiastic spirit through their career, community service or volunteerism.

Patricia “Trish” Passmore Alley is a social entrepreneur, nonprofit leader, writer, poet, and selfdescribed “spark of divine mischief.” As co-founder and president of Wisdom Connection Inc., she supports education, healthcare, and the arts with emphasis on the cultivation of the whole person and collaborative community development. The foundation has fueled multiple human service initiatives in rural Vermont and plays an important role in environmental preservation.

Trish arrived at Skidmore in 1968 looking to prepare for a career in elementary education. “Thanks to Skidmore’s liberal arts curriculum and course requirements, I ended up with a double major in government and history and a minor in geology,” she says. January term courses took her to the Soviet Union, American Southwest, and Japan.

Following graduation, Trish moved to Texas for a job in geology. “I was horrified that, as a woman, I was not allowed to do fieldwork. I am still on strike,” she quips. She completed an MBA in organizational development and behavior from Golden Gate University in 1977 and entered the corporate world. Dismayed by a culture in which the concept of “social profit” was nonexistent, Trish launched a consulting practice with the intent to change it. In 1985, she was selected as a Vermont delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business, where she met her husband, Bill.

Tragedy stuck in 1990, when Trish lost her only child before birth. Re-envisioning her purpose once again, she subsequently co-founded three nonprofits and inspired another. The Wisdom Connection provides small grants to other community nonprofits. WholeHeart Inc. connects individuals and organizations, convenes experiential learning opportunities, and facilitates reflective leadership practices “for a more wholehearted world, based on love.” Inspired by Trish’s dedication, two of her friends co-founded the Vermont Women’s Fund.

Wonder & Wisdom Inc., was a beyond-school enrichment program for elementary school children launched in 1998. It served children from homes with addicted, incarcerated, or otherwise struggling parents and children in foster care. Trish found that many were suffering from trauma, attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, or autism spectrum disorder. “At the same time, these kids were full of energy, emotion, imagination, intelligence, play, and wonder.” Trish discovered a common thread among them: “They were all hungry for nourishment of the mind, body, and spirit.”

“My experience as a social change-maker has been my most meaningful work,” she reflects. Trish’s social entrepreneurship, community building, and philanthropic spirit have earned her a place in Founder’s Circle of the Obama Foundation. Although health issues have slowed her a bit, Trish continues to author a monthly blog (gracefulmischief.org) and is working on a book, Defining Grace: Showing Up with The Gift of Divine Mischief.

For Trish, answers always come from the heart. She celebrates her 50th Reunion as the recipient of the Creative Thought Matters Award of Distinction.

Skidmore widened my world and taught me that creative thought matters. As an introvert who loves interesting people, I play a game with myself: How long does it take to find three things I have in common with a stranger?

— Patricia Passmore Alley ’72