For Daniel Tollefson, Service Means Saying ‘Yes’

Daniel Tollefson, AM’19, mentors, teaches, and opens doors for students and fellow alumni from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.

In recognition of that commitment, the Harris School named Tollefson the recipient of the 2026 CC DuBois Alumni Service Award.

“I felt seen,” he said of receiving the award, “because I really have tried to give back to Harris.”

Named for the late Cynthia “CC” DuBois, MPP’10, the award honors alumni who strengthen the Harris Public Policy community through service — a defining thread through Tollefson's life and career. His commitment stems from a simple belief: People helped him, so he should try to help others.

"I always try to say ‘yes,’" said Tollefson, executive director of the Resilient Chicago Fund at The Chicago Community Trust. "Whenever a current student or an alum reaches out for an informational coffee chat, I try to make time. I know how valuable those conversations were for me when I was trying to figure out a career pivot, which is really hard to do.”

A Minnesota native, Tollefson arrived in Chicago in 2011 through Teach for America and spent years teaching high school English in charter schools in the Humboldt Park and Belmont Cragin neighborhoods on the city’s West and Northwest sides respectively. He enjoyed teaching and remains in touch with many of his former students. 

Yet as he worked closely with students and families, he began to see how broader policy decisions shaped the challenges they faced.

“I started to understand the impact that federal, state, and municipal policies were having on the kids and families,” he said. “There was only so much within your locus of control as a teacher.”

When he learned Harris was launching its Evening Master’s Program, the opportunity seemed tailor-made. A  risk-averse person by nature, Tollefson could continue teaching during the day while pursuing graduate study at night.

With encouragement from his wife, he enrolled in 2018.

“I know where I am right now would not have been possible without Harris,” he said. “The academics, the network, the fellowship opportunities — it all completely changed my career path.”

At Harris, Tollefson gained technical skills in foundational subjects, including statistics and macroeconomics, and learned new ways of thinking that continue to shape his work today.

He also developed a new understanding of scale. As a teacher, he could directly impact the students in his classroom. Through policy, he saw how decisions could affect entire communities.

“Harris helped me visualize the different scale of impact that's possible to understand and the different levers to achieve that scale,” he said. 

Whether evaluating grants, assessing policy shifts, or designing philanthropic strategies, he regularly draws on the frameworks he learned as a student.

“It’s not like I hold onto formulas or equations,” he said. “But those principles and concepts live in my head, and I use them daily.”

Those skills also helped him secure a Harris fellowship that led him to philanthropy.

“I honestly didn’t know what philanthropy was,” he said with a laugh. “My understanding of philanthropy was, as a teacher, applying for DonorsChoose projects so I could get books for my students.”

Today, in his role at the Resilient Chicago Fund, he helps nonprofits and local governments respond to major shifts in federal funding and social policy, including reductions in federal support for programs such as SNAP (food stamps), Medicaid, and housing assistance.

"These aren't abstract policy changes," Tollefson says. They affect whether people can buy groceries, access health care, or find stable housing. And they affect hundreds of thousands of people in Illinois alone. 

As Tollefson was being interviewed, the Fund was sifting through 231 proposals focused on issues ranging from food security and health care to housing and public safety. The plan was to invest in a select group of those applicant organizations as they develop innovative solutions for Chicago residents.

“I feel called to help ensure that resources reach people who need them most, especially those who may not have the political or economic power to advocate for themselves,” he said.

That same sense of service to all resonates in his relationship with Harris.

Over the years, Tollefson has coached a winning Harris Policy Innovation Challenge team, taught a Harris professional skills course, hosted student groups at the Chicago Community Trust, and met with countless students interested in careers in philanthropy and public service.

“Probably every two or three weeks, someone from Harris reaches out,” he said. “I just say ‘yes.’”

As government and nonprofit sectors face uncertainty, Tollefson believes alumni support matters more than ever.

“This is a challenging moment for current Harris students,” he said. “It is very challenging for young people navigating this policy terrain. Universities are under a microscope, the federal government is shrinking, progressive policies and progressive states are being targeted.”

The opportunities that once existed are harder to come by, he said. “If things are really challenging or in the valleys or the troughs, then you need your alums to do more.”

When asked what he hopes people remember about this recognition from Harris, Tollefson returns to the seemingly simple acts that have defined his approach to service: a conversation over coffee, a mentoring session, a class, a phone call, a willingness to help.

"You can give a lot with very little," he added. "And what seems small to you can make an enormous difference in someone else's journey."

“You have a lot to give,” he said in a message to fellow Harris alumni. “You are part of what makes Harris special.”