Tom began his geology career in 1979 and switched to working with conservation districts in 1992. Along the way he has lived and worked across the American West and in Indonesia.

Notable successes include:

• discovering multiple gold deposits through creativity and perseverance;
• successfully winning several grant awards;
• completing a significant watershed assessment;
• building and maintaining many websites to communicate key information to the public;
• facilitating countless difficult issues;
• writing state rules on critical aspects affecting conservation districts;
• repairing and expanding partnerships;
• coordinating the purchase of a 319-acre commercial forest for a conservation district; and
• managing the construction of a $6.4-million 11,000-square-foot conservation center.

Tom has a long history of working with others to achieve positive outcomes on projects of all sizes. But what Tom is most proud of is a career filled with nurturing and supporting a diverse cast of incredible board members and employees, the lifeblood of every conservation district. Today he leads a forward-thinking and effective private nonprofit association in support of Washington State's 45 conservation districts.