In 1974 he joined the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education as a curriculum specialist and was later promoted to the position of Assistant State Supervisor for Distributive Education and the State DECA Advisor. In 1978, he left the state agency to join the administrative team at the Great Plains Technology Center in Lawton where he was soon promoted to the position of Assistant Superintendent. In 1981, he rejoined the State Career-Tech Department as the Assistant State Coordinator for Technology Centers and was later promoted to Assistant State Director. During his stint at the state agency, he was responsible for the establishment of ten new career-tech centers located in Ada, Okmulgee, Wetumka, Omega, Altus, Stigler, Tahlequah, Sayre, Frederick and Kansas, Oklahoma.

Tom has served as President of the National Council of Local Administrators (NCLA), the Oklahoma Council of Local Administrators (OCLA), the Oklahoma Career-Tech Foundation, the Administration Division of the Oklahoma Association of Career and Technology Education, the Oklahoma Tech Center Superintendents’ Association, and as Chairman of the Board for the Edmond Area Chamber of Commerce.  He is a graduate of Leadership Oklahoma, Leadership Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma Educators’ Leadership Academy, and Duke University’s Executive Education for Government Officials Academy. Tom has a master’s degree from the University of Central Oklahoma and both bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from Oklahoma State University where his dissertation on correctional education was recognized by the graduate college for research excellence and used as justification for expanding Oklahoma’s system of inmate training centers. While at the state agency, Tom was appointed by Governor George Nigh to serve on the Governor’s Committee On Jobs For Veterans. In 1991 he received the President’s Award  from the Oklahoma Association of Minorities in Career and Technology Education (OAMCTE) for his efforts in advancing opportunities for minorities in career-tech education.

Tom has authored numerous manuscripts on career-tech education that have been featured in state, national and international publications and is a sought-after speaker on career-tech education. He has testified before Congress on two separate occasions about the benefits of Career-Tech Education on workforce development.  Tom led the effort and helped write state legislation that provided technology centers in Oklahoma the opportunity to develop career-focused college prep academies. He also led the effort to change the rules of the State Board of Career-Tech Education to allow home schooled students the opportunity to enroll in Oklahoma Technology Centers.

For his outstanding contributions to the field of career and technology education, in 2009, Tom received the Arch Alexander Award, presented by the University of Oklahoma. In 2012 he was presented with the Distinguished Service Award from the National Council of Local Administrators (NCLA) and in August of 2013 Tom was presented with the Francis Tuttle Career Excellence Award by the Oklahoma Association of Career and Technology Education (OKACTE), which is given to individuals whose contributions have been of state and national significance. In 2015, he was named one of Oklahoma’s Most Admired CEO’s by The Journal Record. In 2016, Tom was appointed by Governor Mary Fallin to serve as Oklahoma’s representative to the sixteen state Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and also served on her Education Advisory Committee. In 2019, Tom received a number of recognitions including the InnoVisionary Award presented by the Francis Tuttle Foundation for his visionary and innovative leadership; was inducted into the Northwest Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce Hall of Honor; and presented the Distinguished UCO Alumni Medallion by the University of Central Oklahoma Alumni Association. 

Tom and his wife Cindy have four adult children and eight grandchildren. After spending nearly a half-century in career-tech education, Tom announced his retirement in 2019 so he could travel the globe in pursuit of fish yet to be caught on a fly rod and begin writing books based on fishing journals he had been keeping since he was 10 years old.  He has authored two books based on his fishing journals, If It Were Easy, They'd Call It Catchin' and Bent Poles, Happy Souls. He just completed a third book that was published in February of 2024 focusing on the back-stories that led to the development of Oklahoma’s nationally recognized career-tech system. It is titled The Stars Aligned And The Rest Is History.