Tom Tresser

Tom Tresser is a Chicago-based civic educator and public defender. He has spent 50 years doing grassroots democracy, community organizing, and work in the defence of public assets and services. He has started or led 14 nonprofit enterprises in the arts, community development, and civic engagement. In 2008 he co-founded Protect Our Parks, which successfully fought the privatization of Lincoln Park. In 2009 he was a co-leader of the No Games Chicago campaign to stop the 2016 Olympics from coming...See more

Tom Tresser is a Chicago-based civic educator and public defender. He has spent 50 years doing grassroots democracy, community organizing, and work in the defence of public assets and services. He has started or led 14 nonprofit enterprises in the arts, community development, and civic engagement. In 2008 he co-founded Protect Our Parks, which successfully fought the privatization of Lincoln Park. In 2009 he was a co-leader of the No Games Chicago campaign to stop the 2016 Olympics from coming to Chicago. In 2013 he co-founded the CivicLab, America's first co-working and maker space for social justice. In 2016 he edited and published Chicago Is Not Broke: Funding the City We Deserve, which outlines $5 billion in progressive and sustainable annual revenue solutions for Chicago. Tom has taught community organizing, civic engagement, public policy, creativity, and nonprofit management classes at six Chicago universities. See less