Gus Yusem was an early champion of print’s role in IT. “He was the unofficial father of managed print,” said CompTIA Vice President Jim Hamilton.
Yusem, senior business engineering manager with the global MPS business group at Xerox, passed away late last month surrounded by his family. He had fought a brave battle against stage 4 Gliosarcoma.
Yusem held an M.S. and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Tulane University and an M.B.A. from the University of Oregon. He began his career as a manufacturing engineer manager at Tektronix from 1993 to 2004. His time at Xerox took him from customer satisfaction program manager through managers print services manager up to his current role.
“At Xerox, Gus was a champion for innovation and value creation,” Elizabeth Fox, vice president, managed print services offerings, at Xerox, said in a statement. “From his early days designing the plant [that] manufactured solid ink to his most recent leadership of the Managed Print Contracting Tool, Gus envisioned possibilities and then worked tenaciously to bring them to fruition. Outside of Xerox, Gus was a man who cared deeply for his family and friends, and he lived life to its fullest; whether it was tending his abundant garden, nurturing his beautiful daughters or collaborating with [his wife] Suzanne as they prepared a gourmet meal for guests on their back patio.”
Yusem was part of CompTIA’s Managed Print Services Executive Council, active in its launch, and remained a member of CompTIA’s ITSS Community. He served as MPS vice chair from 2013 to 2015. West McDonald, vice president of business development with PrintAudit, worked with Yusem during this time and shared these thoughts:
“I had the honor of getting to know Gus when I was elected chair for the Managed Print Community and Gus was elected as the vice chair. It was the first time that I had the opportunity to work so closely with a big-wig from one of the OEM manufacturers and I learned a lot. I’m not talking about learning about Xerox or OEMs but rather about work ethic, kindness and an endearing sense of humor. Gus was one of the best people I have ever had the honor to serve with. He defined what it means to be good and to be real. I really looked forward to any project I was involved with that included Gus. It was never just business; it was always much, much more rewarding than that. I am shocked and saddened by his passing and only hope that his family can take some comfort in knowing just how much of an impact Gus had – both professionally and personally – on those who got to work with him.”
CompTIA Senior Vice President Tim Herbert said Yusem was never satisfied with the status quo. “Gus was a champion of creative problem solving,” he said. “He wasn’t just an ideas guy but rather someone who actively provided the support and encouragement to see new approaches through. Gus’ leadership in the MPS community led to a number of interesting initiatives, including the introduction of the Kano Model to better understand customer expectations and how to exceed them.”
Lisa Person, director of member communities for CompTIA, also remembers Yusem well. “It was a pleasure to work with Gus and he shared incredible insight, and was always so humble about it,” Person said. “He would shut the room down and find clarity. He brought everything to a laser-like focus in community promotion discussions, building initiatives, partnering with research, sharing his expertise, literally anything.”
Yusem will be remembered on September 16 at the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland, Oregon. In lieu of flowers or gifts, his family asks that contributions be made to EndBrainCancer.org, a non-profit organization that provided resources for him throughout his journey.
