Microsoft former president and chief operating officer Jon Shirley talks with host Paul Shoemaker about what it was like when Microsoft was a still a startup and how he helped shape the fast-growing tech company — and the Seattle region — into what it is today. They also delve into how Jon did what many alumni do post-Microsoft; he followed his passion. Learn how a walk in his own garden inspired the Olympic Sculpture Park and so much more.
• Bringing “adult supervision” to the kids at Microsoft in the 1980s.
• RadioShack and building the first laptop with Bill and Microsoft.
• How the Microsoft Redmond Campus came to be.
• Post-Microsoft. The 1990s were a time to regroup and reconnect with family, doing adventure travel, learning to ski and collecting art.
• Starting the Jon and Mary Shirley Foundation and supporting the visual arts.
• Amassing a personal art collection & building his “two-bedroom museum.”
• Art in the halls of Microsoft. Curating one of the largest corporate art collections.
• Turning a brownfield into the Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle — and saving salmon along the way.
• Advice on arts philanthropy: using your brain, network and your money to support something you are passionate about.
• Creating community support for a cause you’re passionate about.
• Foundation versus directed gifts.
• How Jon’s Microsoft alumni network helped support his dream.
• What’s next for Jon?
Paul Shoemaker and Jon Shirley get ready to record an episode of Beyond the Blue Badge at Avast Recording studio in Seattle.
Learn more about Seattle Art Museum: http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/
Learn about the Olympic Sculpture Park: http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/visit/olympic-sculpture-park
Learn about the Jon and Mary Shirley Foundation: https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.profile&ein=943163120
Learn about the Jon and Kim Shirley Foundation: https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.profile&ein=822635446