Tom Cesarini

Background

About Tom Cesarini

Tom holds a PhD in leadership studies and an MA in nonprofit leadership and management from the University of San Diego. Tom’s doctoral dissertation is titled,"The Multiple Meanings of San Diego’s Little Italy: A Study of the Impact of Real and Symbolic Space and Boundaries on the Ethnic Identities of Eight Italian Americans." For this work, Tom was a nominee for the university’s William P. Foster Outstanding Dissertation Award. In this research study, Tom examined identity perceptions of San Diego Italian Americans with a connection to Little Italy by analyzing narrative constructions of the participants’ life stories. Tom was appointed the Italian Honorary Consul in San Diego in 2019 and proudly serves the community in this important role, helping co-nationals with a variety of needs. As an advocate for the local Italian community, Tom has helped to promote Italian arts, culture, and heritage for numerous local Italian cultural organizations. Noting an absence of a singular point of reference for San Diego’s myriad Italian groups, Tom founded Convivio in 2003 with the goal of establishing a multifaceted Italian cultural center and museum in San Diego. Tom’s vision for a collaborative cultural venue includes a reference library, media lab, historical archives, Italian Studies and language academy, performance and event space, cafe and market, and an exhibition area. Currently, through Convivio, Tom directs the Amici House and Amicibar in Little Italy, which serve as the event, heritage, and visitor center for the community. Tom’s academic interests include leadership theory and practice; group relations; adult development; organizational culture; communications studies; arts and humanities; cultural and ethnic studies; film and society; ethical, philosophical, and psychological components of leadership; Emergent Leadership Theory; Integral Theory; and nonprofit-sector trends. Tom also has extensive experience in the social sector as a consultant with a focus on narrative building, writing and editing, group relations, nonprofit-organization infrastructure, resource development, program design, and capacity building. He also established Chiaroscuro Consulting, providing a host of services to social-sector organizations in a consulting role.