Tom was raised on a dairy and row crop farm Northwestern Ohio. In his teen years he was active with 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA). While in Ohio he worked closely with the County Agriculture Agent and was a member of the County Leadership Committee.
Tom worked for 40 years (1957 to 1997) with the Natural Resources Conservation Service where he served as a conservation technician, engineering technician, Watershed Planning Engineer, Area Engineer, Assistant State Conservationist for Programs, State Conservationist in Arkansas, leadership positions at the state and national level including working on policy and operations in the Watershed Division in Washington D.C. His career with NRCS brought him to work in Ohio, California, Idaho, and Arkansas.
In addition to his service with NRCS, Tom served on the Presidents Commission after the Midwest Floods and was a member of the Interagency Task Force which developed the report “Floodplain Management for the 21st Century”.
After his career with NRCS, Tom served as the Executive Director of the California Association of Conservation District (1997 to 2004). Through this role, he assisted and represented one hundred Resource Conservation Districts by providing unified representation and advocacy, coordination, by supporting district activities, and by providing information, education, and training programs. From 2009 to 2012, Tom served as President and Vice President of CARCD.
Tom was appointed to the position as a board member of the Placer County Resource Conservation District (PCRCD) in 2003 and served as President from 2006-2009. As a board member these past 18 years, Tom has had the pleasure of seeing the Conservation District become a leader in aiding the residents of Placer County. He is proud of the resource work in forestry, fire management, and the Chipper Program and the services they provide to the public.
Currently, Tom serves on the Executive Board of NACD representing the Pacific Region which includes, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, America Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
He passionately believes that we should always improve the natural resources of an area for the benefits of all, believes we make the most effect and economical decisions when we do it at the local level, and he believes the Placer RCD is a tool to meet this goal.
Education and Professional Associations
- Bachelors Civil Engineering, Water Resources – The Ohio State University
- Master’s in public administration – John F Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
- Active with the National Association of Conservation Districts, Soil a Water Society, National Watershed Coalition and Knights of Columbus