Tracy Baim

Tracy Baim is executive director of Press Forward Chicago, part of a national network of journalism pooled funds. The Chicago fund is based at The Chicago Community Trust. Baim has 41 years of community journalism experience, including as co-founder and co-owner of Windy City Times, launched in 1985, and as Chicago Reader’s publisher from 2018-2023. She has been active on LGBTQ+ rights and local journalism since 1984. She is a native Chicagoan who has served on many boards. She also led or co-led major events including the Tiny Homes summits, Gay Games VII in Chicago, and the March on Springfield for Marriage Equality. She was founder of the LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois. She is in multiple halls of fame, including the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame and the National LGBTQ Journalists Hall of Fame, and received lifetime awards from the Chicago Headline Club and the Chicago Journalists Association. She also received the Studs Terkel Award from Public Narrative, among many other honors.