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Tom Zdeba, retiring after 25 years of service
It hardly seems possible, but the retirement of one of our longest-standing staff members, Tom Zdeba has come. Tom has announced his retirement after 25 years of service. His last day with us was June 8, 2018.
We held an open house in Tom's honor on Tuesday, June 5, 2018.
Professional History
In his 25-year tenure at University of Michigan, Tom has worked with ORSP (which was then the Division of Research Development and Administration, or DRDA), and for over five years as Managing Project Representative of the Private Sponsors team, which includes negotiating research-related agreements with sponsors from industry and non-profit sectors.
In 2001, Tom received the OVPR Exceptional Service Award. He was "widely cited among both the faculty and research administrators as 'knowledgeable and professional,'" and possessing "style, sense of humor and consistently positive attitude," even when the workload piles up. We think that still describes Tom.
Tom has served on various committees including:
- Contract Review Committee
- External Sales Office Committee
- Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Committee
- Med-COI Committee
Tom has an impressive professional history leading up to his work at U-M. Before coming to ORSP, Tom worked at a Dearborn law firm as a plaintiff’s attorney. In that capacity he counseled on a broad range of practice areas, from personal injury to divorce (not his favorite) to corporate law, helping corporate clients establish new businesses. While there, Tom developed a particular niche conducting depositions with medical doctors, allowing him to use his pre-Med degree in Zoology from the University of Michigan.
Prior to earning his JD from Wayne State University and practicing law, Tom was able to more deeply use his undergraduate expertise. Tom wrote a taxonomic key on freshwater clams that is still used today! His work was sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency. His multifaceted role included conducting sampling on Lake Michigan once a month. To create the key, Tom would develop images of the clams with the electron microscope, applying a thin layer of gold to the specimen to create a replica, allowing for the identification of structures, and the development of the drawings.
His work was published in a, A Guide to Freshwater Mollusks of the Laurentian Great Lakes with Special Emphasis on the Genus Pisidium.
Ask Tom to tell you the story about the time he was caught in a Lake Michigan gale one summer. "We could see the storm was coming, and we hightailed it back to port. But we didn't quite make it." Their boat rose up and down over 12-foot waves. All were safe, but the combination of thrill and fear were palpable. That is certainly why one of his favorite programs to watch is Deadliest Catch!
Back to present day, Tom has enjoyed the interesting work at ORSP, and in particular, helping to make research projects happen, and applying the law in a way that is fulfilling.
The good news for ORSP and the research community is that we do get to work with Tom a little longer. He will work here in a consulting capacity a few days a week beginning July 2, 2018.
Looking Forward
Tom has great plans to fulfill some "bucket list" items during his retirement. His adult daughters are both in Michigan now. One purchased a "fixer-upper" home in Detroit, not far from the Boston Edison neighborhood, with beautiful woodwork such as walnut pocket doors that require patient and focused restoration. His other daughter and grandchildren are in Grand Rapids, and he looks forward to spending time with them.
Around Ann Arbor, he's thinking of taking up Yoga along with his regular fitness routine. He may even try to get better at golf now that there is more free time! He wants to continue to play guitar and is looking to find a teacher to help him further develop his improvising skills.
He looks forward to traveling to North Carolina for a wedding for a week in June, and then to the Blues and Brews Festival in Mammoth, California, in August.
In 2019 he may travel to Thailand then Taiwan to visit his friend Justin and his fiancee.
He also wants to get back to Paris and Northern Italy -- particularly Venice and Cinque Terre on the Amalfi coast, where there are no motor vehicles and touring is done via footpaths, boats, and trains.
It's hard to imagine a more perfect retirement.
I asked Tom if he had any words to share, and his advice was to really listen to people, to visit with team members individually, and in their own space, and to give them more than one opportunity to share. Well said, Tom.
Please join us in thanking Tom for his noteworthy tenure at ORSP and wishing him the absolute best in his future endeavors.