Andrew Skoler; on Brookline School Committee

ANDREW SKOLER

Throughout his business career and in his work on the Brookline School Committee, Andrew E. Skoler strived to benefit others and the community, friends and relatives said.

"He truly wanted to be a good person. He always made good choices," said his brother Frederick of Belmont. "He would consider things and take into account the thing we were raised with."

Mr. Skoler died Nov. 28 at his home of an unknown cause. He was 42.

Born in Springfield, Mr. Skoler graduated from Brown University in 1987 with a bachelor's degree in English and American Literature. He earned a master's in business administration from Harvard University in 1994.

He moved to Brookline in 1996 with his wife, Victoria (Gajewski), whom he married in 1994.

He joined Boston-based Bain in 2006 and was executive vice president of its Portfolio Group, which works with the management teams of Bain-owned companies to help them reach their full potential. The companies Mr. Skoler worked with all shared a common mission - to make a difference, said Steve Barnes, managing director at Bain Capital.

"He didn't wait to say 'I'll make a difference for my family and my community later,' he said, 'I'll do it now,' " Barnes said.

One of the companies Mr. Skoler worked closely with was M/C Communications, a provider of continuing medical education and events management solutions for the healthcare field. Mr. Skoler acted as interim president until his colleague John Connelly started in April 2007 as president and chief executive. "Andrew brought a tremendous amount of value to this company, and he was universally respected for his insight and judgment for a breadth of issues," Connelly said.

Outside of work, Mr. Skoler was a member of the Brookline School Committee. He was appointed to the committee in January 2006 and elected to the body this year.

Mr. Skoler attracted the attention of Brookline because of his previous work as president of Co-Nect Inc., an education company that uses technology to improve teaching, said Bill Lupini, superintendent of schools.

"The value of Andrew's contributions was really that he never took the easy answers from us," Lupini said.

Before his six-year tenure with Co-Nect, Mr. Skoler cofounded Vertex Partners Inc. of Boston, a consulting firm for Fortune 500 companies.

Mr. Skoler maintained contact with several childhood friends. A friend he met in grade school, Gregory Rogers, remembers Mr. Skoler as compassionate.

"He cared about making a difference; he cared about family and friends. He was always positive but not in a Pollyanna way. He was fun to have around and had a million friends," Rogers said.

"We all love Andrew and miss him terribly," said friend Adam Hirsch of Boston. "He lives in our hearts and deeds."

In addition to his brother and wife, Mr. Skoler leaves two sons, Charles and Samuel; a daughter, Emma; his mother, Charlotte (Ruben) of Florida; and another brother, Richard of Easthampton.