About Thom
Executive and Leadership Coach
I don’t just understand leadership in theory. I’ve lived it.
About fifteen years ago, I found myself asking a simple question: What do I want to spend the rest of my career doing? Looking back over my career up to that point, the answer surprised me with its simplicity. The moments that had been most meaningful weren’t the programs I managed or the initiatives I led. They were the conversations with members of my team helping someone work through a challenge. Seeing a leader gain confidence. Watching as someone discovered they were capable of more than they believed. That was the part of what I did that never felt like work. When I discovered executive coaching, it felt like finding the work I’d been preparing for all along.
Experience Matters.
Before becoming a full-time executive coach, I spent almost 35 years inside the kinds of organizations I now serve, as a congressional staffer, nonprofit advocate, federal program manager, and organizational leader.
I've led teams, managed complex initiatives, partnered with leaders across sectors and across the country, and navigated the competing priorities, limited resources, and organizational realities that come with meaningful leadership.
I know what it's like to make difficult decisions without a perfect playbook. I know how isolating leadership can sometimes feel. And I know that even the most experienced leaders benefit from having someone who listens well, asks thoughtful questions, and creates space to think.
That experience isn't simply my background. It's the foundation of how I coach.
What I Believe About Leadership
People sometimes assume executive coaching is about learning better leadership techniques. Those skills absolutely matter, but the most meaningful work goes deeper.
The leaders who experience the greatest growth don’t simply become better communicators or more strategic thinkers. They become more confident in themselves and more comfortable with the uncertainty that leadership inevitably brings.
They stop believing they need to have every answer before taking action. Instead, they become less concerned with getting everything right and more willing to learn, adapt, and grow. They develop the confidence to navigate uncertainty because they’ve learned to trust themselves to figure out what comes next. Ironically, that’s what often makes them better communicators, better decision-makers, and more effective leaders. They’re able to build stronger relationships, create greater trust, and help their teams do their best work.
Organizations thrive when leaders create environments where people can grow. That’s why my work focuses not only on helping individual leaders succeed, but on helping organizations build leadership cultures where people feel supported, challenged, and invested in one another.
My approach
Whether I'm coaching an executive, facilitating a leadership cohort, or leading a workshop, my goal is the same: to help leaders think more clearly, lead more intentionally, and create stronger teams.
Clients often tell me that our conversations stay with them long after the session ends. They'll say things like, "I hear your voice in my head when I'm facing a difficult decision," or "I always feel better after we talk."
I take that as one of the greatest compliments I can receive.
Coaching isn't about giving people answers. It's about helping them discover they already have more wisdom, resilience, and capability than they realize.
Let’s Start with a Conversation
Every organization is different, and so is every leader. Whether you're exploring executive coaching for yourself, leadership development for your team, or a broader initiative to strengthen your organization's culture, I'd welcome the opportunity to learn more about what you're working toward.