Experience & Activities

Tom has been a resident of Ottumwa since 1967. He retired from American Home Finding Association after 45 years of service. During his tenure at AHFA, the agency grew and added several state and local programs to serve children and families. Tom has a long history of particpation in the community—serving as District Director for the Boy Scouts of America, serving on the Board of St. Joseph Hospital, the Board of the Ottumwa Regional Health Center, the Coalition for Children and Families, and the charter Board President of the Ottumwa Regional Legacy Foundation. Lazio has been honored both locally—recipient of the Gene Schultz Community Award, and State-wide for his service to the betterment of the lives of children and families.

Tom Lazio was elected Mayor of the City of Ottumwa in 2014 and has served for six years in that role.

When working with children and families, Tom learned about the ACE study and its impact on individuals. What was fascinating was the fact that individual are resilient and can change. When he learned that the Children’s Alliance received the Resilient Community Grant award, he was excited to support the local efforts to make our community a healthier place to raise children.

“We need to get children off to a safe and healthy start in life and support their families so that together they grow and maximize their potential”.