You would think that spending a ridiculously long time working in both academic institutions and local government would have knocked the sense of play out of Tom, but that’s not the case at all. He thanks his life partner LaVonne and their four children for constantly inspiring him to not take things too seriously and always integrate play into his work. Tom serves as the director of North Portland Neighborhood Services, where he works with hundreds of volunteers building community.

Of the most rewarding experiences of my career, has been to play a small part assisting Cody and April Goldberg rapidly transform a distant vision into the reality of Harper’s Playground.

Tom Griffin-Valade