# Tom Freedman

> Tom Freedman is the CEO and co-founder of Freedman Consulting, LLC, a Washington-based adviser to foundations, nonprofits and public-interest organizations. A former senior adviser to President Bill Clinton and strategy chief for the 1996 Clinton-Gore campaign, he co-founded the Welfare to Work Partnership and has worked on bipartisan research, advocacy evaluation and public-interest technology.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-Founder at Freedman Consulting, LLC
- **Organizations:** Freedman Consulting, LLC, Clinton Administration, Clinton/Gore ’96, Office of Congressman Charles E. Schumer, Welfare to Work Partnership, Resources for the Future, 2008 Obama-Biden Transition Project, Obama for America (2012), Eli J. & Phyllis N. Segal Citizen Leadership Program (past advisory board member)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Carleton College, University of California, Berkeley
- **Known for:** Co-founded a partnership that grew to more than 20,000 employers and collectively hired more than one million Americans off public assistance., Served as a senior adviser to President Bill Clinton., Editor-in-chief of the California Law Review while at Berkeley.

## Career timeline

- **1985** — Carleton graduating class; awarded a traveling Watson Fellowship to study African famine for a year.
- **—** — Press secretary, then legislative director, for Congressman Charles E. Schumer.
- **1996** — Chief of staff for strategy, Clinton/Gore reelection campaign.
- **—** — Special assistant to President Clinton for policy planning, later senior adviser to the president.
- **—** — Co-founded the Welfare to Work Partnership with Eli Segal.
- **2003** — Co-founded Freedman Consulting with Karin Freedman; presented polling research with Jim McLaughlin at the Borlaug Dialogue.
- **2008** — Served on the Obama-Biden transition’s Technology, Innovation, and Government Reform Policy Working Group; presented with John Bridgeland at Brookings.
- **2012** — Policy consultant to Obama for America.
- **2014** — Co-authored Climbing the Mountain with Sam Gill.
- **2016** — Co-authored A Pivotal Moment on public-interest technology talent.
- **2024** — Continued as CEO and co-founder as Kyra Jennings became president.
- **2025** — Co-authored a common-ground essay with Jim McLaughlin; listed as a speaker for Yale’s December cross-sector careers fireside chat.

## Achievements

- Co-founded a partnership that grew to more than 20,000 employers and collectively hired more than one million Americans off public assistance.
- Served as a senior adviser to President Bill Clinton.
- Editor-in-chief of the California Law Review while at Berkeley.
- Received a traveling Watson Fellowship in 1985.
- Co-founded Freedman Consulting in 2003.
- Co-authored research on advocacy evaluation and the public-interest technology workforce.

## Latest updates

- **2025-12** — Dwight Hall at Yale listed Freedman and Bridgespan’s Preeta Nayak for a December 5 discussion of cross-sector careers in public service.
- **2025-06** — His firm published findings from its national survey with McLaughlin & Associates and noted the May essay co-authored by Freedman and Jim McLaughlin.
- **2024-10** — The firm announced Kyra Jennings as president, with Tom continuing as CEO and co-founder.

## Links

- Website: https://tfreedmanconsulting.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-freedman-4a1987306

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/tom-freedman
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25