Prior to working at INL, Tom was Chief of Staff to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. He was responsible for coordinating the activities of the 160-person staff at the U.S. Mission in support of the U.S. Ambassador to the UN. He also advised the State Department on the Oil for Food scandal and UN reform.

Prior to joining the State Department, Tom was a partner at Bryan Cave LLP, an 800-attorney international law firm founded in his hometown of St. Louis, MO. He practiced in the areas of commercial litigation, government contracts and white collar criminal defense. In 1999 and 2000, he took a leave of absence from his law practice to serve as chief of staff of the 73-person federal investigation into the deaths of the Branch Davidian group at Waco Texas, an investigation led by former U.S. Senator and Ambassador John C. Danforth.

A graduate of Yale and Harvard Law School, Tom is the author of three books, an audio CD series, and numerous articles on law, business, economic history, and personal finance. He has lectured to over 75 major organizations in 40 cities; he has been a guest on numerous TV and radio programs across the country, including CNN and Bloomberg Financial Network; and he has served as a contributing correspondent to the NBC television affiliate in St. Louis.

Tom is married and has two children. Tom is an avid collector of coins, antique books, documents, and autographs; and he enjoys writing and playing guitar.