Local philanthropist Robert Rotella was recently honored at a reception held by the University of Washington Bothell School of Business. Rotella donated 13 art photographs to UW Bothell’s Eastside Leadership Center, which houses executive, graduate and undergraduate business programs.

Rotella is the CEO of Rotella Capital Management, which has offices in Bellevue and Chicago. He acquired his interest in photography early in his life from his father who would often take pictures of the family. He has photographed cities and people but more recently has specialized in macro flower photography and landscape images.

“Robert’s photography will be a constant reminder of the beauty of the natural world and a challenge to strive for innovation and creativity in all that we do,” says Sandeep Krishnamurthy, Ph.D., director of the UW Bothell School of Business.

Early in his career, Rotella’s prowess as a photographer led to his first big break in business, after an investor who was impressed by his photography gave him $50,000 with the expectation that his trading skills would match his photography skills.

Trained as a chemical engineer, Rotella finds common themes in the relationships between art, science and business, since all require intuitive as well as semantic thinking.

In an artist’s statement about his work, Rotella said, “photography is the tool I use to capture the wonder of the world, present everywhere around me. Whether emanating from a glorious landscape, or from petals fragile with the morning dew, the sense of wonder is always there, beckoning to me.”