Thom Serafin

Thom Serafin
Thom Serafin (2015)
Occupation	Public affairs consultant

Thom Serafin is a public affairs consultant specializing in politics and media. He is the founder and CEO of Serafin & Associates, Inc., a Chicago-based firm specializing in crisis communication.Crain's Chicago Business has included him in their list of Illinois' 20 most powerful political insiders.

Serafin was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He attended Sangamon State University (now the University of Illinois at Springfield), and in 1973 earned a B.A. in communications and a minor in film-making. As an undergraduate, he assisted his professor and mentor, future U.S. Senator Paul Simon, in launching the UIS Public Affairs Reporting (PAR) program, and later earned his master's degree in PAR from the program.

Serafin began his career as the Springfield correspondent for the Capitol Information Bureau (now the Illinois Radio Network).

In 1978, he left his job as a legislative correspondent to become press secretary for Alex Seith, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, in his challenge to the incumbent U.S. Senator Charles H. Percy. Despite Seith's obscurity, the campaign mounted a strong challenge and nearly pulled off an upset victory. Serafin managed Seith's second Senate bid in 1984; the campaign advertisements Serafin designed were called "corny but effective," beginning his career in politics.

His next job in politics was as press secretary for U.S. Senator Alan Dixon. As Dixon's "top political operative", he worked on campaigns for other Democratic candidates in Illinois, including future U.S. Senator Dick Durbin's first congressional run and Illinois State Treasurer James Donnewald's reelection bid. In 1987, he joined Gary Hart's presidential campaign as its Illinois manager. He was one of two Hart spokesmen to confirm on May 8, 1987, that Hart was withdrawing from the presidential race.