We’re so pleased to welcome our FY2020 Board President Tom Andreesen! We interviewed Tom about his connection to the Resilience mission, his vision, and his new role as Board President. Keep reading to learn more about Tom:


Tom Andreesen, FY2020 Board President

Why does our mission matter to you?

TOM: Resilience has a wonderful mission and vision that you can find on the website and in our publications. The mission contains the words healing, empowerment, non-judgmental, education, and advocacy which I see as fundamental to what the organization does to support survivors. I feel like we have such an impact in the community which is both energizing but also disheartening when we continue to see the needs grow.

What about Resilience are you proudest of?

TOM: The Resilience staff is absolutely amazing. I have gotten to know them through various activities but when I completed the Resilience Sexual Assault and Crisis Intervention training, I was in awe of the passion and expertise demonstrated by the Resilience team. I learned so much from them and gained so much respect for what they do almost on an hourly by hourly basis.

Why did you decide to serve as Board President?

TOM: I would not say that I decided to be Board President – I was given the wonderful opportunity and honor by the Board and Resilience.  I have enjoyed serving in a variety of roles on the Board and related committees so look at this as another opportunity to hopefully help the organization, staff, volunteers, and survivors in a new capacity.

What are you most looking forward to doing with Resilience as you begin your term as Board President?

TOM: I am excited to keep learning about ways that we can positively impact survivors and help raise greater awareness in the Chicago area of sexual assault and impact it has on survivors and those around them. I am also very interested in seeing how we can continue to leverage technology and digital advancements to support Resilience operations and explore ways to leverage such capabilities in enhancing how we deliver our services.

What do you find compelling about the current anti-rape movement? Where do you think Resilience fits in?

TOM: Resilience has the opportunity to better educate those in our community on the stigmas and fallacies that exist around sexual assault. This includes leaders in our community and in Washington D.C. because we need them to understand the legal system and financial support has to continue to evolve to deal with the issues that face survivors each and every day. We need action not just rhetoric from our leaders at all levels of our government.

Board of Directors, Tom Andreesen