Thomas N. Gilmore, cofounder of the Center for Applied Research, former senior fellow at Penn, and author, has died at 80

Thomas N. Gilmore, 80, of Philadelphia, cofounder and retired vice president of the Center for Applied Research Inc., former senior fellow at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, population health associate at Thomas Jefferson University, mentor, and author, died Saturday, July 20, of aspiration pneumonia at Lankenau Medical Center.

Mr. Gilmore was an expert in workplace psychodynamics, especially leadership transitions and group interactions, and he and four others founded the Wharton Center for Applied Research at the Wharton School in 1977. It became a private firm, the Center for Applied Research Inc., in 1987, and Mr. Gilmore consulted closely with management clients in health care, higher education, philanthropy, family business, and nonprofits until his retirement in 2018.

He focused on company reorganizations, downsizing, and team building, and his clients included the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Georgetown University, and the New York City Administration for Children’s Services. He was analytical and articulate, and he and coauthor Larry Hirschhorn wrote in a 1992 article for the Harvard Business Review: “In an economy founded on innovation and change, one of the premier challenges of management is to design more flexible organizations.”

For Nonprofit Quarterly magazine, he said in 2003: “With so many nonprofits having remarkably similar board-staff dynamics, why don’t we see more creativity in the way boards are organized and operated?” He ended the article with: “Attention and passion are wildly valuable resources, and if these elements are alive, money will follow.”

Colleagues at CFAR said in 2023 that Mr. Gilmore “created enduring learning partnerships” and was “a connector of the first order.” His son Justin noted his “natural enthusiasm and curiosity,“ and said he often worked best behind the scenes.

Bill Marrazzo, president and chief executive officer at WHYY public media, collaborated with Mr. Gilmore on several projects and said: “He had a substantial intellect and even larger heart. Best of all, the two were seamlessly connected.”

Mr. Gilmore was a prolific writer, and he produced dozens of research papers, articles, and chapters about time management, corporate consulting, collaboration, and other aspects of management life. His work appeared in the American Journal of Medicine, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Nonprofit Quarterly magazine, and other publications. His book, Making a Leadership Change: How Organizations and Leaders Can Handle Leadership Transitions, was first published in 1988.

Stuart J. Weiss, section chief at Penn Medicine and longtime tennis partner, said: “His ability to discuss ideas, history, politics, and art made our conversations incredibly engaging.”

He lectured at conferences and taught health-care management classes at the Wharton School, and population health management courses at Jefferson. He was active with the Consulting and Coaching for Change program at the University of Oxford. In 1983, he cofounded the International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organizations.

“The breadth of his knowledge and intellect was downright staggering,” his family said in a tribute. Publisher Paul Dry, a longtime friend, said: “We loved him, and he made our lives better.”

Thomas North Gilmore was born April 26, 1944, in Bethesda, Md. His family moved to Massachusetts when he was young, and he graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover in 1962.

He was captain of the wrestling team at Harvard University and earned a bachelor’s degree in Roman history and literature in 1966. He moved to Philadelphia to attend Penn and earned a master’s degree in architecture in 1970.

He met Sally Walker at Harvard, and they married in 1966, lived in West Philadelphia and Center City, and had sons Walker and Justin. He moved away from architecture when he met like-minded entrepreneurs at Penn who were also talented at turning multidisciplinary research into innovative management development ideas.

Mr. Gilmore played squash and tennis, and enjoyed theater, music, and cooking. He and his wife traveled to Europe and elsewhere, and the whole family spent summer vacations for years in Provincetown, Mass. He donated blood often when he was young and dealt with prostate cancer more than a decade ago.

Friends and colleagues on Facebook called him “brilliant,” “remarkable,” and “wonderful.” Marrazzo of WHYY said: “He had the capacity and deep interest in living a very good and productive life, not only for himself but for those of us he worked with.”

A longtime family friend said on Facebook: “He was always so kind, gentle, and I remember him wanting to teach and show us things.” His son Justin said: “He was sharp, smart, and funny. He was kind and vibrant.”

In addition to his wife and sons, Mr. Gilmore is survived by daughter-in-law Jane Shore, brother John, four grandchildren, and other relatives. Two sisters died earlier.

A celebration of his life is to be held later.

Donations in his name may be made to Doctors Without Borders, Box 5030, Hagerstown, Md. 21741; and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, 322 8th Ave., 16th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10001.