Tom earned a BS degree in accounting and graduated Cum Laude from the University of Baltimore. He earned his MBA concentrating in finance from Loyola University where he maintained a 4.0 GPA. In May 1976, he passed the Uniform CPA Exam on his first attempt with the highest score in the State of Maryland.
Between 1983 and 1993, Tom served as the Chief Accounting Officer at Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE). In addition to managing all aspects of Accounting and Finance, he was an expert accounting and policy witness for BGE in numerous regulatory proceedings before the Maryland Public Service Commission.
In 1988, the American Gas Association appointed Tom chairman of its Accounting Advisory Council. The Council is a select group of national accounting experts that regularly provided guidance to the Financial Accounting Standards Board in the development and implementation of accounting standards for regulated gas and electric utilities.