Timmy Knudsen ’12 has carried a spirit of service from his days on campus to his professional, and now political, life as 43rd Ward Alderman of the Chicago City Council, representing Lincoln Park, Gold Coast and Old Town Triangle.
After incumbent alderman Michele Smith announced her retirement in August of 2022, Mayor Lori Lightfoot nominated Timmy to fill the vacancy, and he the city council approved his appointment in September. He immediately identified safe streets, strong schools and vibrant communities, along with building consensus, as his top priorities. He is now seeking election to a full term.
Upon assuming the position, Tim made history: “I was honored to be sworn in as the first openly gay Alderman of the 43rd Ward and the youngest member of the City Council – and I carry that weight with me each day I do this job.”
A native of Wheaton, IL, Timmy took up residence in the ward he now represents upon moving to Chicago, and in 2018, his home renovation there was featured on the HGTV series House Hunters. Perhaps with an eye to his political future, he’d later tell the Chicago Tribune, “I really geek out about home design and renovation and everything HGTV has to offer. It was like a quirky, super fun, harmless experience that I knew going into it wouldn’t come back to haunt me like I think other (reality) shows maybe would.”
Prior to his appointment, Knudsen, also a 2015 grad of University of Illinois College of Law, had compiled an extensive resume of charitable work, community service, and political activism. On the Chicago Zoning Board of Appeals, where he served as chairman from 2020 to 2022, he helped foster community participation in local developments and observed how the city’s alderpeople served their wards. In his role as chairman, he ensured full and fair representation for local residents, neighborhood groups and community stakeholders of all kinds.
As an associate in the corporate department of the law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman and later a partner of Croke, Fairchild, Morgan & Beres,, Knudsen assisted innovative start-up companies, counseled founders and their investors, and helped some of the nation’s premier business leaders creatively grow their companies. He also founded the pro-bono practice of his firm, representing LGBTQ+ applicants for asylum in Chicago and Tijuana, Mexico.
Reflecting on his time at Delta Tau Delta, Knudsen thinks first and foremost of the camaraderie:
“Friends, of course. I made friends for a lifetime. ‘Rush’ was such a fun time. Going into my freshman year, I wasn’t positive that I would join a house; however, I made such good friends with others joining Delta during rush, that I knew I wanted to join. Now years later, we are still best friends – and in each other’s weddings!
My pledge class was totally a mixed bag of personalities. It wasn’t ‘clique-y’ in the sense that we were all involved in many different ways on campus, and with many groups of friends. But the fraternity house was a home base – that felt like a family.”
That family atmosphere even extended beyond the brotherhood. Knudsen says his college days were “made especially bright because of our cooks Ethel and Trudy. They were truly our moms/family. Ethel passed away while I was in law school at Illinois, and her story impacted me as a young man greatly. We had so much fun with them both! Even during law school, I found them to be a really comforting home base.”
One of his fondest recollections comes from the holiday season of his sophomore year, a time when the bulk of his pledge class was living together in the chapter house. “We had a Christmas themed exchange off-campus with Gamma Phi Beta. It was snowing like crazy, so we had the bus drop us off so that we could walk home and enjoy the snow. Really, this meant we had a huge snowball fight in the Quad. A big group of us Delts headed towards the Gamma Phi house, stopping at every sorority on the way to sing Christmas Carols at their doorstep. We were probably horrible, but we felt really talented at the time, and we looked the festive part. We finally made it to the Gamma Phi house, ate all their leftovers, hung out, and fell asleep sometime in the morning. There are a ton of memories like this – but something about the snow and Quad magic makes this one memorable.”
Friendships and memories to last a lifetime may be Delta Tau Delta’s lasting legacy in Timmy’s mind, but he also picked up some valuable life skills along the way.
“Being social chair made me very organized and skilled at managing a budget. And after living in the house, I can sleep through absolutely anything.”