Born in Brooklyn, Tom and his family moved to West Babylon in 1955. Along with his sisters, Arlene and Carol, Tom is a graduate of West Babylon High School, having graduated as class Valedictorian in 1965.

Following high school, Tom continued his education at Colgate University, receiving his BA in 1969, and then graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1972. Tom returned to New York in 1972, and began his career at UPS and became a member of the New York bar.

During his 32 year career at UPS, Tom worked in a variety of assignments, raising through the ranks until at the time of his retirement in 2004, he was Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of UPS, President of UPS Airlines and served as a member of the UPS Board of Directors from 1998 until his retirement.

In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Tom served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Air Transport Association of America, and a member of the Military Airlift Committee. He was also appointed by President Bush to the National Infrastructure Advisory Committee, and served on the board of the National Center for Family Literacy, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, and the Southern Institute for Business and Professional Ethics.

Since his retirement from UPS in 2004, Tom has continued to use his executive experience. He currently serves as a Director of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., NRG Energy, Inc., Armstead Industries, Incorporated, and as Chairman and Director of Waste Management, Inc.

Tom and his wife Mary just celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary. Son Tom, Jr. is married to Mimi and lives in Lake Worth, Fl; daughter Susan is married to Peter Davidson and lives in Mt. Pleasant, SC; and son Jeff is engaged to Chelsea and lives in Houston Tx. When not traveling for pleasure with Mary, Tom spends most of his spare time playing tennis and golf.