Don Nielsen ’56

After graduating from Ballard High, he attended the University of Washington, graduating with a business degree, and went on to get a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard.

Nielsen then founded Environmental Sciences Corporation, a very successful Seattle business, which later purchased Hazelton Laboratory, a Virginia-based corporation.  Under Nielsen’s direction as co-owner and chief operating officer, Hazelton became a multimillion dollar business in the fields of biomedical and chemical research.

In his retirement, Nielsen has invested much time and effort toward improving the quality of education in Seattle schools.

He has visited with school principals and officials across the country in an effort to determine the key factors in developing educational systems that meet the needs of each of his students.

In 1993, Nielsen was elected to the Seattle School Board and is currently its Vice President.  While on the School Board, he had the opportunity to know and work with late Superintendent John Stanford.  In an effort to help achieve Stanford’s goal of “building a world-class student focused learning system”, Nielsen and his wife, Melissa, recently made a substantial donation to the school district.

Don Nielsen is quoted as saying, “I have a great affinity for Ballard High School and believe my education and experiences there were a launching pad for my successes to follow”.  Many Seattle School District students, including present and future Ballard Beavers, will benefit from Nielsen’s commitment to education and the generous gill given by him and his wife.