Ed Tessier graduated Summa Cum Laude from Pomona College with a degree in Urban Sociology. In collaboration with his family’s development and management companies, his career has focused on urban revitalization, education and the arts. In downtown Pomona, he co-founded the Pomona Arts Colony, a bustling neighborhood of artists, galleries, restaurants and university projects. In the process he assembled unique partnerships with educational, non-profit, and public agencies. Ed is quadriplegic and has been a leader in the disability community and formerly operated a non-profit consultancy firm, Designs for Independence. He has previously served as a Board Trustee for Western University of Health Sciences, president of Pomona’s Central Business District Association, an appointed Member and Chair of the City of Pomona Planning Commission, Member and Chair of the Pomona Vehicle Parking District Commission, member of the Pomona Leadership Forum, and Pomona Rotarian. Ed currently serves as a member of the Fox Theater Advisory Committee, the LA County Fair Association, the Pomona Community Foundation, and is the founding and current president of the School of Arts and Enterprise in Pomona. Ed lives with his wife, Alejandra, and four sons in Pomona, California.