Tom graduated from Emory University School of Dentistry in 1977. He became a member of the ASFO and the AAFS in 1983. He became a Diplomate of the ABFO in 1986 and a Fellow of the AAFS in 1988. He is a member of DMORT Region IV since 1995. He has served as Program Chair, Secretary and Chair of the Odontology Section of the AAFS from 2002 through 2008. He also serves as a Member of the Editorial Board of the “Journal of Forensic Sciences”, the flagship publication of the AAFS. He became a Fellow of the American and International College of Dentists in 2006. He currently serves as President of the ABFO.