Tom’s degree is in Fine Art. He’s always been a student of man's great cultural achievements, and more specifically, the art that is its outward face. It is perhaps the most important expression of who we are and what we might be. Our art teaches us about ourselves. It articulates our imagination. It begins to explore that which is still at the corners of our understanding. It inspires us to appreciate, to question and to understand. And what’s more, it can bring pleasure, awe, and peace to those who look upon it. It is nutrition for our minds.

And Tom can draw. In early childhood, he discovered that he had a talent for putting down on paper what he saw and what he could imagine. Through practice, his ability increased. When it became clear that his talent was the skill that could make even a small contribution to our culture, his destiny was set.

With a Liberal Arts education, Tom became something of an amateur historian, psychologist and philosopher. All tools that help him understand where man has been, where he might be going, and why he's going there. And with an emphasis in writing, he was given another means of expressing it.

Upon Graduation, Tom gained employment in a series of graphic arts jobs that led to a position as an Art Director at a small advertising agency. That is where he learned the business of conceiving, refining, creating, printing, recording, photographing and disseminating the messages of businesses to the public. The mechanical methods of this whole process were learned and utilized to drive revenue, educate, and reinforce branding.

Soon after the birth of Tom's first child, he made the decision to work independently from home. In this way, he could devote more time to his family as well as continue the pursuit of his goal to be an artist and communicator.

Tom continued doing the same kinds of work that he had done as an art director. But now he was also responsible for a business. He was the CCO, the CFO and the CEO on the side. Fortunately, things went well and within a few years, he was making a good living and contributing to the lives of his children and the community in ways that an office job would have prevented.

All the while, he was far from the corporate ladder and all the promotions, career advancements and perks that go with it. Instead, Tom was honing my craft, dealing directly with clients, managing the business and experiencing a broad sample of life.

This was all taking place during the years of the computer revolution. The personal computer was taking hold and the Internet was about to make its mark. Tom plunged headlong into the new world, educating himself and finding ways to use the technology to advance, expedite and enhance what could be done.

His technical astuteness did not go unnoticed. An offer came that he could not resist.

Tom had used interactive media to make promotions and games. The Internet was about to spawn the World Wide Web. And when it appeared, the whole thing looked terrible. What you saw when you looked into this web was analogous to what we would have if plumbers designed the buildings on our skylines. It worked pretty well, but this was not all that our culture was capable of producing. What we had was a group of technical people trying to be creative. What was needed in addition was a new strain of artists who could also be technical. Tom had both the right and left sides of my brain at his disposal. So he was asked to become a web master and a new media designer. Moving up to new media design manager, he created intuitive interfaces that could assist people easily find what they were looking for. And enjoy the experience while doing so.

Tom's management experience lies primarily with his ability to influence, educate and direct coworkers and associates horizontally and diagonally rather than vertically in order to effectively advances the product as efficiently as possible.

With the dawn of the new millennium and the bursting of the dot com bubble, Tom once again found himself rethinking his career.

With all that he had accumulated, the path that he had taken set him apart from many of those who had taken the more traditional career path. His accomplishments and growth have been impressive, but not of the standard issue expected. Instead, he has a more unique set of skills and experiences.

Tom became involved in the founding and building up of a series of startup ventures. His ability to be creative, take advantage of his experience, and wear many hats have been key in his ability to build things of value from vapor.

He now uses his full range of experience to communicate ideas, tell stories, educate and delight. And he is just getting started.

Self Sufficiency. The ability to work with a team when possible, but also to be able to do what it takes to complete a complex project independently when ultimately responsible.
Self-Motivation. The drive it takes to keep going without needing to be prodded or coddled.
Continual Growth, Education, and Reinvention. In order to stay relevant, one must never stay static and must always search for ways to grow.
Sense of Human Values. Focusing on the positive values that allow people to come together and thrive in a fractious world.