Remembering Thom Scher

Thom Scher, president and CEO of leading diabetes nonprofit Beyond Type 1, passed away on December 3, 2021 in New York City. He was 33.

Thom was born on June 15th, 1988 in Orange County, CA. He moved to the Bay Area in 2007 and earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science and Communications from Stanford University, where he also excelled in Mock Trial, winning countless accolades.

Thom was a natural leader and an incredible writer and speaker. He was entrepreneurial and always chose to devote his time to work that fostered his deep strengths of intellect while never forgetting to give back. Before graduating from Stanford in 2011, Thom founded a fashion and lifestyle public relations firm, “Beyond the Dresses”, with the belief that fashion brands needed to cross market with other sectors of the lifestyle and luxury markets to broaden their customer bases and more deeply communicate their brand stories. Thom wove giving into his business, creating an event called the “Annual Charity Fashion Show” that showcased designers. It was recognized as the largest philanthropic fashion show on the West Coast. Never shy of an adventure, Thom moved to the Philippines in 2011 to become the senior director of marketing and visual content for WikiHow, understanding early the power of the internet to bring people together to educate and build community.

Thom came to Beyond Type 1 in 2015 as the chief operations officer and was elevated to CEO three years later. At Beyond Type 1 Thom used his sharp communication skills, keen intellect and immense compassion daily. There was never an initiative too big or mountain too high for Thom. He fought tirelessly in pursuit of the organization’s mission to improve the lives of those affected by diabetes and his tenacious problem-solving often extended far outside his responsibilities as CEO. It wasn’t uncommon for Thom to offer his personal time to struggling community members who reached out to the organization for help. He lived for connecting with, and learning from, individuals and families impacted by this condition.

Having a wide aperture, he was bold in his vision to challenge the status quo in terms of what a nonprofit organization could do; engaging with partner organizations, government entities and underserved communities alike. Under his tenure, Beyond Type 1 grew to serve people living with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes and now provides resources to this community in multiple languages all over the world. Thom was not only an inspiring leader but a partner and devoted mentor who generously gave his time and energy to building up and supporting every member of his constantly growing team.

In addition to his work with Beyond Type 1, Thom coached and mentored his beloved Mock Trial teams at Stanford and Menlo School. As Stanford’s head coach for the past five years, Thom brought individuals and the program to win a total of 83 awards, making him the most awarded coach in Stanford’s history. A champion in every sense of the word, Thom was a pillar of the mock trial community; he also served on the board of the American Mock Trial Association. His legacy lives on in hundreds of students, coaches and attorneys whose lives were transformed by his mentorship, devotion and grace.

Thom was also a devoted parent to his dog Kermit, a deeply loyal friend, and always the most vibrant man in the room. He is survived by his sisters Carrie Adkins and Laura Romero, their spouses Matt Adkins and Nino Romero, his nephews Jackson and Samuel Adkins, and his best friend, restaurateur Logan Levant.

Donations in honor of Thom can be made to Beyond Type 1 here.