After graduating from high school in Fairview Park, Ohio, Tom attended college at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio and The University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Upon graduation he joined the US Army and served in both Vietnam and Korea assigned to the 38th Artillery Division.

Returning from military service Tom followed his love for vehicles and worked for several General Motors dealerships in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as service manager and fixed operations director. He became involved with General Motors Product Engineering and coordinated fleet activities. He then worked for the General Motors Service Technology Group in Detroit at the GM Tech Center. In 1996 he was asked to serve on the GMYES implementation team as they developed the model for a business/industry partnership in the automotive industry. As the Eastern National Manager he was responsible for the implementation of GMYES and then AYES in the Eastern United States. In 2004 he joined Melior Inc./ Today’s Class, a provider of online training and contract instructors nationwide as the Vice President.

Tom has served on regional and national accreditation boards. He served six years as Commissioner for the Council on Occupational Education (COE), and is the Chairman of the Florida Automotive Committee. Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors for North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI).