Dan Tollefson

Board Member | Rest & Resilience Retreat

Dan Tollefson is the Executive Director of the Resilient Chicago Fund, a multi-funder initiative housed at The Chicago Community Trust. His work focuses on supporting nonprofits and public agencies as they adapt to changing policy and funding landscapes while strengthening systems that meet essential community needs.

Dan brings extensive experience in organizational strategy, cross-sector collaboration, and philanthropic partnerships. Previously, he served as the Trust’s Chief of Staff, where he helped guide strategy and steward large-scale initiatives across community safety, emergency response, local journalism, and wellbeing. His career began as a high school English teacher on Chicago’s West Side, followed by co-founding a peer-mentoring nonprofit supporting students academically and emotionally.

As a board member of Rest & Resilience Retreat, Dan is passionate about helping mission-driven organizations grow sustainably and contributes strengths in governance, strategy, and partnership development. In his free time, he enjoys the outdoors, playing basketball and pickleball, and spending time with his wife and two dogs.