At last month’s Telework Exchange Town Hall meeting in Washington, D.C., Dr. Wendell Joice was given a lifetime achievement award. I had the opportunity to address the general session at the end of this tribute. Very few people really know the true impact that Wendell has had on telework—in the public and private sectors, nationally and internally.

In 1992, at the age of 23, I decided I wanted to be a part of the workplace revolution. As such, I began what would become an exhaustive research effort to learn all that I could from those who were on the bleeding edge of the subject. Using the tools available at the timely, primarily Lexis Nexis, I discovered Dr. Joice’s research. He was a research psychologist at the General Services Administration who was already over a decade into his effort to change the way we work.

A few weeks later, I decided to call Dr. Joice and requested an interview. I have to say, I was a little worried that such a distinguished Ph. D. may not be all too enthusiastic about sharing his insights with a young management consultant looking to get into a space that he had so thoughtfully founded and developed. However, what I discovered was an incredibly thoughtful, passionate, and gracious man who was willing to share his time and wisdom with me.

This was the beginning of what has become a lifelong friendship. We have collaborated on many projects over the years. Perhaps the most rewarding work was as fellow board members for the International Telework Association and Council (ITAC). Through ITAC, Dr. Joice built similar relationships with telework advisory boards from around the world—Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany, to name a few.

He has continued to share his sage advice with hundreds of best-practice organizations as they start on the path toward creating a virtual workplace. These companies benefit from flexibilities, more satisfied employees, and hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate savings.

If I look back on all the workplace initiatives that Dr. Joice has touched over the years, I don’t think anyone can fully know the true impact he has had on the workplace of today and tomorrow.