Peter Dreier is a Los Angeles-based author and activist, professor and the director of the Urban and Environmental Policy Department at Occidental College in Los Angeles. He began teaching at Occidental in 1993 after nine years as the director of housing at the Boston Redevelopment Authority and as senior policy advisor to Boston Mayor Ray Flynn. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and a B.A. from Syracuse University.
Dreier’s most recent book, The 100 Greatest Americans of the 20th Century: A Social Justice Hall of Fame was published in 2012 by Nation Books. Dreier has also co-authored three books and co-edited an additional book about cities and urban policy. He is a frequent analyst for policy organizations and think tanks, and a contributor to The Los Angeles Times, The Nation, The American Prospect and The Huffington Post.