Tom's involvement in matters of security and specialized training initially occurred as a Naval Officer and Diver serving in Vietnam. Upon completion of that Vietnam tour, and return to civilian life, he continued with his training with further Government Service.

From 1970 until 1994, Tom worked for the United States Secret Service in numerous capacities, including presidential and vice presidential assignments. He was Special Agent in Charge of the Syracuse, New York, Field Office, where he was responsible for supervision of all Secret Service jurisdictions, protective and criminal, while at the same time occasionally assigned as detail leader to numerous foreign dignitary protective details. Prior to his Special Agent promotion, Tom had been assigned to several field offices, including Boston, MA and Savannah, GA, and also served as a Course Instructor at the Secret Service Training Academy, in Washington, DC.

Following his distinguished twenty-four year career with the Service, Tom has continued with his personal security expertise as a lecturer and consultant, and with personal security training, pro-active training on situations involving terrorism, and on school and workplace violence. Between 1996 and 2004, Tom served as the security and training coordinator for the Republican National Conventions (1996, 2000, 2004); he's also participated as a member of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP), been certified as an expert witness in the protection of at risk persons by the New York State Supreme Court, and was an occasional Guest Lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in the areas of executive protection and workplace violence.

Since 2004, Tom has been affiliated with the United States Department of State, involved with lecturing and training sessions in the areas of general protective issues and terrorism. As a result of this affiliation and these assignments, Tom is regularly called upon to travel all over world to other countries with whom the United States shares common interests and concerns about terrorism., and occasionally within the U.S.

Tom's formal education was at Northeastern University, Boston, MA, with a degree in Education. His follow-up studies were in Psychopathology as it relates to violence issues. Tom has also been the recipient of various Secret Service and Military commendations, awards and medals.