HEY THERE, I’M TOM

I’ve always been drawn to rooms where strategic planning, people, and big thinking intersect — because that’s where meaningful change starts.

My New Jersey State career started at entry-level operations. The “foot in the door,” as they say. Within about a year, I jumped into people ops — leading employee engagement and culture change initiatives for the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission’s 3000-plus workforce. Part training facilitation, part substantial systemic fixes. That highly visible internal communications and information design quickly led me to the Office of Communications — which more naturally aligned with my degree and skillset.

In 2016, I was recruited by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to streamline and modernize its communications operations. After several upward transitions — first to Deputy Director and then into a broader role supporting the Office of the Chief of Staff — I now serve as Director of Communications and Marketing. In this executive position, I work directly with the Commissioner, Chief of Staff, and legislative stakeholders to align cross-functional teams — policy, operations, IT, Legal, HR, and government relations — to move and message high-priority initiatives from concept through execution. This means developing strategies that engage employer groups, advocacy organizations, legislative offices, the NJ Innovation Authority, and counterparts across all 53 states and territories.

Honestly, I’m motivated by work that involves the full lifecycle — taking an initiative from concept to wide-scale operation that meets people where they are, has real organizational buy-in, and is built to last and adapt.

That’s how I approached my own businesses as well.

What best complements my state experience is the private sector thread running alongside my civil service record. Over the years, I’ve recognized opportunities in the market and built two successful companies from scratch — collaborating with small business owners and Fortune 100 clients, running national events, producing creative media, and doing the unglamorous work of building something from zero. That combination — institutional experience and entrepreneurial drive — is exactly what an organization ready to level up its operations should be looking for.

When I'm not scheming toward improvement, I can be found around a campfire, kayaking down the Delaware, or other places where the dress code is more flannel shirt than government ID.