Drea Zigarmi

Drea Zigarmi, born August 26, 1941, in Springfield, MA, died peacefully on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Escondido, CA. He is survived by his partner, Susan Fowler; his daughters, Lisa Zigarmi of Lake Oswego, OR, and Alexa Talbot of Birmingham, MI; his sons-in-law, Paul Del Vecchio and Ryan Talbot; and five grandchildren: Drea-his namesake-Evelyn, Margaret, Susannah, and Desmond. He is also survived by his sister, Yolanda Martin of Sarasota, FL and his ex-wife, Pat Zigarmi of Solona Beach, CA. Drea earned his BA from Norwich University, where he served in the U.S. Army Reserves, and later completed his EdD at the University of Massachusetts.

A pioneer in the field of leadership development, Drea was one of the eight founding members of Blanchard. He co-authored five influential books-The Leader Within, Achieve Leadership Genius, The Team Leader's Idea a Day Guide, Leading at a Higher Level, and Leadership and the One Minute Manager-and contributed 53 academic journal articles on leadership. Drea co-developed Situational Leadership® II and dedicated his career to its continual research and refinement, shaping it into the most widely taught leadership model in the world. Over his 45-year career, Drea advised hundreds of organizations on the sacred responsibility of leadership and how a leader's presence shapes employee engagement and company performance. For two decades, he taught in the Master's in Executive Leadership program at the University of San Diego. Before moving to California in 1981, he served as Head of the McGuffey Laboratory School at Miami University in Ohio.

Drea was a consummate mentor-wise, kind, and endlessly generous. He was a passionate Celtics fan before he became a passionate Golden State Warriors fan. He was a gifted classical guitar player, loved good Italian wine, and surrounded himself with art that he loved and people whom he loved. He enjoyed making everyone laugh with his endless supply of puns. He will be missed deeply by his family, friends, students and colleagues -and by all who had the privilege of learning from his presence.