Tom Decker

Tom Decker

The man thinks deeply.And when he's finished, Decker devises solutions.He molds executives; he provides clarity; he makes sense.

Tom Decker solves problems.

Professionally.

Look back across the span of his life and it becomes eye-of-the-storm obvious that he would one day do so for a living.

"One of my strengths is in shaping an organization's core values," Decker, an associate consultant with Extreme Arts & Sciences, said."I know how to answer the tough questions and have the difficult conversation."

Both things he did successfully during his seven-year stay at the Credit Union National Association (CUNA).At his time of departure, Decker was the director of executive coaching and development, a position with strong ties to his penchant for problem solving.

"That was an important time for me," Decker said.

At CUNA, Decker developed his existing affinity for cooperatives and discovered a new passion for the mission of the trade association.

"I thought about the fact that what I was doing was improving the lives of people with whom I came into contact," Decker said."I knew that what I'd be teaching the staff would trickle down to members."

It's his breadth of teaching knowledge that has endeared Decker to EAS and its CEO Randy Harrington.
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"Tom bring deep experience and academic training in the fine art of consensus negotiation, leadership development and strategy planning," Harrington said.
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Decker manages CEOs and boards of directors with the same deft hand as he walks them through everything from needs analysis to strategic planning and beyond.

These are skills he began honing well before arriving on the scene at CUNA.

In 1990, Decker began working with non-traditional students at Cardinal Stritch, a small university in Minneapolis.He taught courses in business ethics and management, leadership and strategic planning.

"I was teaching and I was the chief administrator for a campus of 900," Decker said."I had 150 adjunct faculty who reported to me.It was a place where I honed my skills and a facilitator and teacher.It was a great place of learning for me."

Decker has been relatively consistent in his lifelong pursuits.Before his time at Cardinal Stritch he had been fascinated with the idea of improving the student experience on college campuses.

Again, the problem solver.

"I got my master's degree in student development theory," Decker said."I was very involved with Wisconsin schools in student union kind of work and the strategy of assimilating the student."

But Decker also knows business.Though these were skills honed in a little different arena.

After Decker finished working specifically with students and their transition to college life, he began dabbling in concert promotion.And in conjunction with that he began developing and producing jazz and blues series that would perform on nights when symphony orchestra halls were dark.

"I learned a lot about business and about creating a product," Decker said."I also learned a lot about symphonies and had a really good time."

But the development of people, and the navigation of challenges with which they're presented, proved to be of more interest.That's why Decker was so successful at Cardinal Stritch and why he became so valuable at CUNA.

Today he is a straight man who can provide answers.

"I became very serious about my life at age 18 and that has shaped who I've become to this day," Decker said."Not that I always look at life so seriously, but I do have a good idea of what I think is important, about what core values look like."

That instilled self-confidence and self-assurance also appears in Decker's extra-curricular activities.While he does draw a great deal of energy from the dynamic found in groups, many of his pursuits leave him time for reflection and solitude.

"What really appeals to my soul are things like gardening, reading, long bike rides and hiking," Decker said."There's something wonderfully calming about gardening especially."

EAS consultants Randy Harrington, Carmen Voilleque, Tom Decker and Rob Lipsky will undertake a project of major proportion in an effort to show 66 the path most condusive to success.