Tom is the Founding Director of the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences and the Executive Associate Dean of Strategy and Innovation in the College of Letters & Science at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Assembled in 2019, the School includes Computer Sciences and Statistics departments together with the Information School. With over 5700 program students, the compounded growth is 14% yearly for the past five years.

The School was created in recognition that the future of high tech involves both cutting-edge research and education in the core sciences and the enrichment of this work with an understanding of the societal impact posed by the pervasiveness of computing and big data. Data privacy, security, and ethical use of artificial intelligence are vital components of high tech today and in the future.

Before returning to his alma mater, Tom had been a founding director and CEO of Acquia, a Boston-based software company that he grew from founding to $175M in revenue and 800 employees. A majority share of Acquia was acquired in 2019 by Vista Equity Partners for more than $1B. In 2012, Deloitte named Acquia the fastest-growing private software company in the USA.

Tom has also served in several executive roles in software companies in his 40 year career, including Teleatlas (TomTom), Systinet (Mercury Interactive/HP), webMethods, Baan, and MRO Software (IBM).

Tom grew up in Mondovi, Wisconsin and started programming in 1974 in high school. He believes the Driftless area is the most beautiful spot in the world and maintains the 3rd generation family cottage on the Mississippi River. Passionate about opportunity, equality and education, Tom loves the outdoors, cold or hot, and prefers to be around bodies of water. He is at home anywhere on the planet and loves to learn languages, and not just Java and C++. It’s common to find him in the garden, on the ski slopes, or with a camera in his hand. Food and wine are his weaknesses, and he prefers cooking over dining out. Tom is the proud father of two young men.