To the Williams community,
I write with the promised commemoration of Tonio Palmer, former director of entrepreneurship at the ’68 Center for Career Exploration, who died on April 28. A cherished member of our community, he remains present in our hearts and minds.
Passionate about working with students, Tonio helped undergraduates develop their ideas and interest in entrepreneurship, becoming a friend and mentor to many. Whether engaging with students at the college’s annual Venture Pitch Competition or at the Williams Summer Institute for Entrepreneurship, he made sure his office was always open for students to drop by to ask questions, share an idea or just chat.
On a Kudoboard celebrating Tonio’s many contributions to the college, Kayla Swift ’23 shared that Tonio “inspired a generation of entrepreneurs and created an entrepreneurial program at Williams that will have a lasting legacy.” Math professor Steven Miller noted that it was “transformative and an honor” to work with Tonio, adding, “Not everyone can teach our students what they need to realize their dreams.”
Tonio joined the Williams community in 2017, first as the college’s entrepreneur-in-residence and then as director of entrepreneurship. In The Record’s commemoration of Tonio, Don Kjelleren, executive director of the ’68 Center, described Tonio’s interview for the job, saying, “He literally blew us away [with] his personal affectation, his energy, his charisma, his vision. We were just like, ‘Wow, Williams students are going to gravitate towards this.’”
And gravitate they did. In his Winter Study course, Entrepreneurship Essentials, Tonio guided a group of students from Williamstown to San Francisco, providing them with insights and hands-on experiences that inspired and shaped their own ideas and work. “Leading a group of college students, especially across the country, is no small task,” Erok Iyamu ’25 said. “But Tonio approached every challenge with his characteristic positivity.”
Tonio grew up in a number of cities around the globe, including New York City, Rio de Janeiro and Eberstadt, Germany. After graduating from Bowdoin College with a degree in economics and German, he drove across the country and later met his future wife, Barbara, who is the director of finance and operations at the Williams College Museum of Art.
Tonio wholeheartedly took pleasure in life, sharing it with many friends, family and loved ones. In his final weeks, despite receiving hospice care, he traveled to Munich, Germany, to attend the birth of his first grandchild, Louis—a testament to his deep and unwavering devotion to family.
Tonio was predeceased by his parents and his sister Francesca. He is survived by his wife, sons William and Henrik, daughter Caroline, sister Helena Gatterburg, and many in his extended family.
Our thoughts go out to Tonio’s loved ones, friends, former colleagues and students.
Maud