Umberto Joseph Balducci, III

Umberto Joseph Balducci, III, 84, of Rockville, Md., died January 25, 2022, at his home. Mr. Balducci was born October 4, 1937, in Richmond, Va. Umberto, the son of the late Umberto Joseph Balducci Jr. and Catherine Lee Asher Balducci, grew up in a tight-knit community among his aunts, uncles and cousins who all lived near him in the Italian American community of Highland Park. He graduated from Benedictine High School in 1956, then went on to gain a bachelor's degree from Saint Vincent's College, located in Latrobe, Pa., near Pittsburgh, in 1960. It is the oldest Benedictine college in the U.S. He later earned his Ph.D. in English from the University of Pittsburgh.

Umberto, also known as "Sonny" or "Bert," after graduating from Pitt, worked in the Pittsburgh area in community development. He moved to the Washington, D.C. area where he worked as a professor of English at the American University, then went on to form his own consulting business for the remainder of his career. Bert's consulting practice focused on seminar trainings for clients in the areas of conflict resolution and organizational strategy, his lifelong passion. His "WinWin Systems" practice taught others how to focus on achieving wins for all parties versus compromising. He said about this work: "I have long thought I could, and wanted to, use these capabilities to change people's attitude toward conflict – to get them to see conflict not as evidence of an insidious or difficult problem, but rather to understand it as an absolutely necessary sign of great potential for creating and developing new relationships that are non-zero sum, or win-win."

This approach built on the work of Roger Fisher, William Ury and David Strauss. Bert applied this work in organizing conferences around arms control and conflict resolution with the UN, the campaign for the National Peace Academy, the U.S. Institute for Peace and held workshops on conflict resolution with organizations such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

In addition to his professional career, Bert enjoyed activities with his friends and family, including dancing and playing middle eastern music. He played the oud, middle eastern drums, trumpet and clarinet and was proud of his time in the Benedictine marching band. He also enjoyed playing chess, bocce; and was an avid reader on a wide variety of topics from eastern mysticism to quantum physics to organizational management theory to mental and physical health and wellbeing. For many years, Bert was a regular participant as a performer at numerous Greek festivals around the Washington, D.C. area. In his later years, he enjoyed the company and comradery of the members of the many thriving Jewish congregations of Montgomery County, Md.

Bert is survived by his two brothers, Paul Balducci of Augusta, Ga. and Nicholas Jerry Balducci of Milwaukee; his aunt, Aida Balducci Keller; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

There will be a private funeral and burial.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions for Umberto Joseph Balducci III may be made to the Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, Pa., or to Amnesty International.