Tom founded TCAPP out of a desire to enhance the relationship between communities and police in metro Atlanta. Against the backdrop of the events of the Summer 2020, he saw a need for new approaches to improve how the law enforcement and the public engage with one another and how Community & Problem-Oriented Policing concepts could address needs on both sides.

Before TCAPP, Tom worked for a European Union public safety reform project in Southeast Asia. He was part of a team of international experts that sought to transform a national law enforcement agency at all levels and instill a Community & Problem-Oriented Policing ethos among all officers. 

Prior to that, he was based in Atlanta and served as the Government of Japan's Political Advisor for the U.S. Southeast. He also worked for the Carter Center, both in Atlanta and Sudan, on election observation projects. He is a graduate of Georgia State University and the Australian National University. 

In his spare time, Tom started the 5K for Myanmar initiative to raise awareness and support for the people of Myanmar in the wake of the 2021 coup. He also claims to know "everything there is to know" about the American Space Program from 1957-1972.