Lawrence D’Addario ’90 has fond memories of WPI and remains friends with a group of fellow students he met as a freshmen. The IQP and MQP, both of which he completed in Worcester, were Lawrence’s first experiences working collaboratively on a team—experiences that have served him well and inspired him to give back to WPI.
An entrepreneur and technologist, Lawrence has built and managed engineering organizations that designed innovative hardware and software based signal processing products. His career includes founding roles at Visible Inventory and White Mountain DSP, and leadership roles at Analog Devices and the MITRE Corporation. Today Lawrence is an engineering consultant with his own firm, D’Addario Consulting, and he pursues his passion for music. He has earned several master certificates from the Berklee College of Music and is the creative director of D’Addario Music Productions. He enjoys volunteering at artist associations, and STEM-based organizations, such as FIRST.
“WPI was a key path that led to many of my successes,” says Lawrence. “The Plan, the environment, and great advice from some caring professors guided me in many ways to where I am today.”
A loyal WPI supporter, Lawrence began giving back to his alma mater in 1993, just three years after graduation. He has been a faithful contributor to the WPI Fund, supporting academic programs. In 2012, he connected with professor Mark Rice, who was starting the Tech Advisors Network (TAN). Lawrence generously gifted his hedge fund to WPI as one of the original supporters that helped to establish TAN. It was also around this time that Lawrence shared that he had included WPI in his estate plan, and subsequently became an Alden Society member.
Lawrence decided to make a planned gift to help future engineering students benefit from a WPI education. Through his planned gift and support, he is hoping to help future young entrepreneurs get off to a strong start.
“I am pleased my planned gift will help future students enjoy the WPI experience as much as I did, and maybe foster future entrepreneurs. It’s a win-win situation.”