James Work Balassone

Jim Balassone, a longtime sales executive who evolved into a highly regarded expert on business ethics and later founded a medical nonprofit, passed away in Santa Clara. He was 75.

Jim was born in Great Neck, N.Y. to James M. Balassone and Josephine W. Balassone. Jim graduated from Princeton University in 1964 and was involved in fundraising for his alma mater for more than half a century, including cochairing the 50th Reunion campaign for his graduating class that raised more than $4 million.

A retired U.S. Marine Corps reservist, Jim earned an MBA from New York University. His passion for acquiring new and diverse knowledge aided his rise through the ranks of several multinational organizations, including IBM and Hitachi Data Systems.

Jim retired from the private sector to become an executive-in-residence at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, where he brought academics and business professionals together to address critical ethical challenges and develop best practices for building ethical organizational cultures.

Recently, Jim co-founded the non-profit Bulamu Healthcare International, which provides free primary healthcare to families in rural Uganda. In its second year of operation, Bulamu has already treated over 11,000 patients through three week-long medical camps and a recently opened full time walk-in clinic to screen for and treat cervical cancer.

He is survived by his children – Merrill, 34, Elizabeth, 32, and James, 26, all of San Francisco, and his wife of 34 years, Betsy Gilmore Balassone, of Los Altos.

A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 10 at Foothills Congregational Church, 461 Orange Ave. in Los Altos

(please RSVP to jbmemservice@gmail.com).

Jim’s family has asked that any donations be made to Bulamu International, at http://bulamuhealthcare. org.