In Memoriam

Gary Lee Yates: Background and Brief Biography

Gary was born October 7, 1943, in Ravenna, Ohio. A management consultant and executive coach, Gary received a B.A. in Government and History and an M.A. in International Affairs from Florida State University in Tallahassee. He conducted additional post-graduate work in Political Science at the University of Georgia at Athens.

Gary worked as a business consultant and senior manager for Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio, where he managed multimillion dollar projects and a department of 300 employees. He conducted projects for NASA, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Air Force, the Defense Logistics Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, county and state governments in Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina, and he also oversaw international projects in Switzerland, France, Libya and Tunisia.

From 1989 to 1994, Gary served as a senior manager for the U.S. office of The Global Hunger Project in San Francisco.

In 1994, Gary moved to Sonoma County, California, and co-founded, with his wife, Sunny, effective environments�, a consulting firm dedicated to providing small businesses and nonprofits with the tools to produce breakthroughs in accomplishment and effectiveness. He developed and delivered workshops – and authored and co-authored more than 30 articles – on subjects such as effectiveness, time management, project management, clutter management, board development and the use of coaching as a methodology for producing results. He served on several boards of directors including, most recently, the Board of El Refugio, a battered women’s shelter, in Silver City.

Gary was a talented musician who played the trumpet, cornet and guitar and listened with deep appreciation to nearly every kind of music. He was also an avid fan of auto racing, a voracious reader, a lover of wilderness areas and a dedicated philanthropist, supporting a variety of organizations working to expand well-being, sustainability and justice in the world. He had a special place in his heart for dogs.

Gary died July 4, 2008. He is survived by his wife, Sunny, of Silver City, his mother, Arlene Moore Yates, of Tavares, Florida, his brother, Ronald Charles Yates, of Orlando, Florida, two daughters, Shawna K. McHolan of Lake Powell, Utah, and Kayla Renee Yates of Dublin, Ohio, their mother, Paula Bowman Yates, of Mt. Perry, Ohio, five grandchildren, and many devoted friends.