My practice is systems and organization design, and my current field is resource sharing with a focus on the nonprofit sector. A former musician and curator, my greatest happiness is to support people who work for social good and, more broadly, to advocate for a radical reimagining of the nonprofit sector.
I believe that the solutions to our most persistent social problems are likely best solved by the commons and not as readily by government or the private sectors, though the latter have roles to play. Embracing commoning values and practices means you also embrace equity, inclusion, and power sharing. All are necessary for the flourishing and proliferation of human vision and purpose.
However, for the nonprofit sector to cleave to more commoning values, it needs to cure itself of infection by the thought and practices of the private sector. And if such a cure ultimately not available, we may need to explore a more radical path. This project has defined my work to date.
My formal education was in music performance, musicology, and history and philosophy of science. My informal education continues to unfold as a serial starter of projects, all in the commons sector, where I continue to enjoy designing, building, and passing this work on to new stewards. I also volunteer as a governor for the National Network of Fiscal Sponsors and Nonprofit Centers Network.
Philadelphia’s historic Overbrook Farms neighborhood is home, where my husband and I are stewards of the Ernest Leigh Tustin house, built in 1913 by one of the city’s great voices for public education, social justice, and commonweal.
— Thaddeus Squire