Remembering Delorese Ambrose

Created on Wednesday, 03 February 2010 09:22 Last Updated on Monday, 03 December 2012 19:20 Published on Wednesday, 03 February 2010 09:22 Written by Courier Newsroom Hits: 2628

Founder of Ambrose Consulting & Training, LLC, Delorese Ambrose provided coaching and training for both the public and private sectors for such notable clients as Boeing, Hallmark Cards, KPMG, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Reserve Bank, Shell Oil Co., the U.S. Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency and the Veterans Administration.

DELORESE AMBROSE

She also lectured as a faculty member of the Institute of Management Studies throughout the U.S. and in Canada, Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Manchester and Scotland.

She was a noted writer and her life’s work is immortalized in numerous publications including her three books: “Healing the Downsized Organization,” “Leadership: The Journey Inward” and “Making Peace with Your Work: An Invitation to Find Meaning in The Madness.” Her contributions to the business community and world of academia have not gone unnoticed. In 1995, Pittsburgh Magazine named her as one of Pittsburgh’s 25 Most Powerful Women, and she has received numerous accolades and recognitions including the coveted Emil Limbach Teaching Award.

Ambrose passed away Dec. 30 at the age of 60 after a two-year bout with breast cancer. She was living in Decatur, Ga. She is survived by her mother, son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.

She was an assistant professor at Brooklyn College, City University of New York, from 1975 to 1980, and adjunct professor of management from 1980 to 1998 at Carnegie Mellon University, where she also served as assistant dean of the School of Urban and Public Affairs. From CMU she transitioned to the corporate world joining ALCOA, and it was during this time that she realized that the world could offer a much larger classroom. She began to share her inspiring lessons in conferences and seminars internationally.

Even with her many accomplishments, to her family she was simply “Della” or “Dew” a nickname gleaned from her maiden initials. To her beloved grandchildren, she was “Nnena,” meaning “my father’s mother” in the language of the African Igbo tribe and chosen in homage to the royal roots of her maternal ancestry. Both names are fitting as she was like the dew that comes with the dawn of a new day, refreshing the lives of those who came in contact with her. She was also a woman of regal bearing, comfortable among queens but never losing the common touch. She was a beautiful, positive and elegant role model for people from all walks of life.