Oshkosh Healthy Neighborhoods: Great Neighborhoods Start With You!
● Oshkosh Healthy Neighborhoods exists to create and support a sense of community and caring in our city.
● Since we began our partnership with the city of Oshkosh, 22 recognized Neighborhood Associations have been created! We work with neighborhood leaders and city planning staff to support residents interested in going through the NA formation process, which results in the Oshkosh City Council providing formal recognition.
● Our Good Neighbor Grant Program has resulted in almost 80 households receiving up to $750 each, to help them improve the exteriors of their homes and yards.
● We have renovated and sold two homes in our Stevens Park and River East neighborhoods in an effort to, as we put it, “Turn the worst house on the block into the best house on the block.”
● We have partnered with Habitat for Humanity to support the very popular and productive “Rock the Block” program. The Sacred Heart, Congress Field, River East and Midtown Neighborhood Associations have all participated.
● We are supported by the city of Oshkosh, the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation, the JEK Foundation, and a number of individual donors, as they help us make neighborhoods great!
About the Speaker
Tom became Executive Director of the Oshkosh Healthy Neighborhoods organization in November 2021, after having served on the organization’s board since 2016. Prior to joining OHN, he served as Executive Director of the Oshkosh Area Community Pantry for just under three years. Tom also worked for 35 years at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, serving in a
variety of roles in the Department of Residence Life, including the last 11 as Director, where he oversaw the construction of the first new residence hall on campus in over 40 years.
In addition, Tom has been very involved in the Oshkosh community. He spent 15 years as a member of the Oshkosh City Plan Commission, serving 12 as Chair. The Commission makes recommendations to the city council regarding land use and development. Tom also served on the board of the Oshkosh Junior Achievement organization for nine years, helping to increase the financial literacy of children. He also spent five years as a member of the Steering Committee for the Leadership Oshkosh Program, helping design and implement the highly respected Chamber of Commerce effort to identify and motivate new leaders in the community.
Tom is originally from Cudahy, Wisconsin and earned two degrees from the University of Chicago. His wife Sue is from Green Bay, so they are safely located halfway between both families. Tom and Sue have two adult children; Ben, who lives in Milwaukee, and Ava, who lives in Riverside, California. They also have Pearl, a standard poodle, who you may often see
walking with Tom in their west side neighborhood. He also is a passionate gardener and loves reading, sports, and eating out.