Bill is a proud graduate of the University of Puget Sound, where he was the third person in his immediate family to graduate from the University. At UPS, Bill joined the Washington Delta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta while studying political science and graphic design. He later went on to study law at Seattle University. He is an active member of the Washington State Bar Association. In his thirty-plus years of experience, he has worked for several Fortune 50 companies and many early-stage startups. He spent twelve years at Microsoft, where he founded several products. He has worked for SAP, DTS, RealNetworks, and most recently LiveOne and Slacker Radio.
Bill has always been active in his community. He served as the mayor pro tem of his hometown of North Bend, Washington as well as a commissioner of East Side Fire and Rescue and as head of the public safety committee, which managed the local police force. An outdoor enthusiast, he was active in the Friends of Tollgate Farm Committee that was part of the conservation effort to save the iconic Mount Si Conservation Area.
In college, Bill was actively involved in fraternity life. He was the IFC vice president and later president, and a part of the Order of Omega. After college, Bill was a chapter consultant, visiting roughly 120 chapters in the northeast and deep south. He was an adviser and CAB member for Washington Delta since 2015, and as an adviser to Wisconsin Gamma and British Columbia Gamma since 2021. Most recently, he was the province president for Pi North (Washington and Idaho). He has been a facilitator for Kleberg Leadership Institute and the McKenzie Family Presidents Leadership Conference. Bill was vice chairman for the educational foundation. He was also a member of the survey commission, where he takes great pride in starting several chapters. Bill has been a formal mentor to many undergraduates from his alma mater over the past fifteen years, many of whom are Phis.
Bill splits time between North Bend, Washington and New Braunfels, Texas. He and his wife Kristi just celebrated twenty-eight years of marriage. His son, Matt, is a Phi from Butler (Indiana Gamma).
A piece of advice
Phi Delta Theta is one of the greatest teachers of life skills. It has taught me to truly listen to others. To seek out opinions that are different from mine and learn from them. Question. Never be satisfied with the status quo and to always strive to be better. Push yourself to the point of being uncomfortable, and then push some more. Do not settle. But most of all, it has taught me the value of brotherly love is in transmitting it to others.
“The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work, and the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking, and don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking, don’t settle.”
-Steve Jobs
Bill Wittress, Puget Sound ’93