For the times they are a-changin” – these lyrics were sung by Bob Dylan in 1964; they are as applicable today as they were over forty years ago. To be successful in business is to be situationally aware or, put another way, environmentally competent.

Tom has operated his own business, Avalon Institute Inc., for over twenty-five years. In business, success has come from being keenly aware of the global environment. Tom will say, “If you cannot predict the future, then create it because if you do not, then someone else will."

Concurrently, Tom is an instructor at Camosun College in the Business Administration and Leadership Development programs. He publishes and presents papers at national and international conferences, and peer reviews manuscripts for publication in journals. Tom’s research interests include: Culture of Peace and the applications at the macro, meso and micro levels; Peace and Security; Ethics; Efficacy of United Nations missions; and Human Resource Management. He is the Editor-In-Chief for the Culture of Peace Online Journal.

Tom has been associated with RRU as an OCP faculty advisor since 1999. In addition to private sector work, he has been the Brigade Personnel Selection Officer for 39 Canadian Brigade Group, the army in British Columbia; in a related capacity, Tom was also a Regional Joint Liaison Officer with Joint Task Force (Pacific), Canada Command.

Tom has professional affiliations with the: International Peace Research Association; Canadian Pugwash Group; Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict and Violence; International Society for Research on Aggression; Canadian and American Psychological Associations; Academy of Management; Canadian International Council and, the British Columbia Human Resource Management Association; inter alia.