Donald A. Smart

Smart, Donald A.

MADISON/WELD, MAINE - Donald A. Smart passed away in his beloved state of Maine, where he resided in Weld and Damariscotta for the last 20 years. He was 79 years of age.

Known for his unapologetic humor and intensity, obsession with the Packers, voracious reading, lifelong generosity, profound intellect, and adventuresome spirit, he was also an avid runner, cyclist, and an upland bird and duck hunter.

Donald was educated, as an undergrad, at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., and later received his MBA from The University of Idaho in Moscow. He achieved further professional qualifications as a Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) and became a Certified Management Consultant (CMC). After becoming a Lieutenant in the United States Navy, following Officers' Training School, he was employed by The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. as a Management Specialist. Later, he worked for The First Wisconsin Trust Company in Milwaukee.

After moving to Madison, he took a position with a nonprofit, The Wisconsin Center for Public Policy, advocating for socially responsible investing to protect the environment and those formerly unrepresented in state retirement investments. Following this, he was asked to open a Madison office for a Minneapolis firm, DCA, specializing in retirement fund administration for a series of companies.

Advancing his career to new heights, he founded Charing Company with offices in Lacrosse and Madison. As its president and CEO, for nearly two decades, he also founded the Wisconsin Pension Council. In addition, he served on the Lawrence University's Board of Trustees, for The Nature Conservancy of Wisconsin, and The State of Wisconsin Employee Trust Funds Board. He was also a member of the Wisconsin State Coalition that advised the legislature on retirement plan matters.

Throughout his life, he was dedicated to Environmental Protection. In northern Wisconsin he helped to form the Crab Lake Conservation Foundation and was instrumental in helping to preserve 130 acres on its shoreline. He was an advocate for Socially Responsible Investing as well as Alternative Energy Advocacy. In Damariscotta, Maine, he fought for allowing private residential use of wind power and was the first person to install it there.

Donald will be lovingly remembered by his children, Cynthia Spiess and Robert Smart; his grandchildren, Alexander and Sophia Spiess; his wife, Betsy Ferguson, and her extended family; his brother, Bradford Smart, as well as his former wife, Janette Smart. He was predeceased by his sister, Claudia John; and his parents, Dorothy and Walter Smart.

A small private family gathering will occur this summer in Weld, Maine, according to Donald's wishes.