University Times

Wilma Tabisz, executive assistant to the dean of the Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration, died Jan. 12, 2013. She was 62.

Tabisz began her Pitt career in 1994 as an administrative secretary for then-Dean H. J. Zoffer. During her 18-year tenure, she also worked for interim Dean Andrew Blair, Dean Frederick “Rick” Winter, interim Dean Lawrence Feick, and current Dean John T. Delaney.

Said Delaney: “Wilma has been a fixture in the dean’s office for many years, serving as the dean’s executive assistant and showing a pleasant, effective and caring approach to anyone entering the office. Although she faced a variety of obstacles, including a battle with cancer, Wilma never let them affect her interactions with and concern for others. We will miss her very much.”

Tabisz was expert at handling each dean’s schedule and a variety of other activities within the dean’s office, colleagues said. She helped to manage human resources records for staff and faculty, administering the promotion, tenure and reappointment process for faculty.

Kristy Bronder, former executive assistant to the senior associate dean and now program manager for the Business of Humanity Project, said: “For the past seven years, I had the honor and privilege to work with Wilma. From my first day at Katz, she welcomed me with warmth, respect and kindness. She had an unbelievable dedication to her work and taught me so much about doing my best every day. In addition to being a wonderful co-worker, Wilma was a great friend.  She was always there for me whenever I needed advice and support.

“She was also an entertaining storyteller with an infectious and spontaneous laugh. I will miss sharing stories with her about everything from successful sale shopping (Wilma had a fantastic sense of style and loved handbags, shoes and jewelry) to relaying trivial and important anecdotes about our lives.

“Although Wilma’s absence will leave a hole in the dean’s office that cannot be filled, she will never be forgotten by those of us who had the opportunity to work beside her.”

According to other colleagues, Tabisz was masterful at keeping documents organized. It was not uncommon to see three-ring binders and folders stacked neatly in high piles on her desk.

Prior to joining the business school, Tabisz also worked in administrative assistant roles for the James Austin Co., Papercraft Corp. and Kraft Foods.

But work wasn’t the only thing that was important to Tabisz: Her Pitt co-workers noted how proud she was of her family, especially her grandsons, on whom she doted.

Tabisz is survived by her daughter and son-in-law Jennifer and Mark Focareta; grandsons Matthew and Michael Focareta; brother and sister-in-law Robert and Gloria May Thompson; brother Glenn Thompson; sister Mildred Elliot; brother and sister-in-law David and Darlene Thompson; sister and brother-in-law Elvajean and Robert Downing; sister Nancy Critchlow; former husband Edward P. Tabisz, and many nieces and nephews.

—Marty Levine