My wife and I raised three children in the Village and have come to love the many things the community has to offer.  With excellent schools, safe streets, and a nice community feeling, we have felt that Whitefish Bay is a great place to live.


Pictured above is Tom and Sue and their three children,
Beth, Nicolas and Alicia.

I obtained a bachelor’s and master’s degree in engineering from Marquette and worked for Wisconsin Energy and its subsidiary companies for most of my career.

I recently retired from full time employment, working part time out of my home office in the energy field.  This has given me the opportunity to spend time doing the things I enjoy, including community service.

Regarding community service:

  • I am a commissioner and secretary of the Historical Preservation Commission of Whitefish Bay, WI
  • Former Vice Chairman and Director of the Dominican High School board of directors and served as its interim president during 2005
  • Former member of the WFB High School Development Committee
  • Chairman of the History and Heritage Committee of the Milwaukee Section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
  • Member of the National Advisory Council for the Marquette University School of Engineering


In 2005 I served as interim President of Dominican High School, filling a void until they could hire someone permanently.   It was a real honor to represent the school.

My Professional Experience

Current:  Principal officer of a consulting practice serving the energy business in North Central United States and Canada, providing services related to strategic planning, generation planning, siting and technology selection to a variety of clients.

2001-2004

Vice President and General Manager, We Power, LLC:  Chief operating officer of a subsidiary of Wisconsin Energy Corporation formed to design, build, and own approximately 2,300 MWs of new coal and natural gas based electrical generation facilities.  Established new organization and obtained project approvals from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin and the Department of Natural Resources.  Construction on the first natural gas unit began in July 2003 and went into service in mid-2005.  Construction on the two unit coal facility started in mid-2005.

1994-2001

Corporate Secretary and Director of Corporate Affairs at Wisconsin Energy Corporation:  Responsible for corporate activities and governance, shareholder services, and executive compensation. Between July-December 1997 was also responsible for corporate communications, government relations and community relations.  Directed emergency communications activities associated with energy shortages during the summer of 1997.

1993-1994

Acting Director of Engineering and Construction at We Energies:  Responsible for E&C department consisting of 340 employees during the restructuring of the company.  Facilitated assumption of engineering functions into the corporate business units.

1992-1993

Manager of System Engineering at We Energies:  Responsible for generation, transmission and distribution planning, telecommunications and system protection.  Oversaw the first competitive solicitation for generation in Wisconsin.

1989-1992

Plant Manager of Pleasant Prairie Power Plant:  Had overall responsibility for operation of the plant and its 180 employees.  During this period power production costs from the plant were reduced, and plant efficiency and availability increased.  This 1,230 MW coal-fired power plant is the largest and lowest cost generating facility in the State of Wisconsin.

1985-1989

Director of Financial Management at Wisconsin Electric:  Responsible for corporate financing, financial analysis, corporate budgeting, investor relations and financial reporting to the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Wisconsin Electric was reported as having the "strongest financial performance of any utility in the U.S." by National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners during this period.  Supervised the sale of over $600 million in debt and equity securities.  Cost of capital witness in utility rate cases.  Performed analysis and participated in negotiations leading up to purchase of a 600 MW coal-fired power plant, along with the assumption of service to what eventually became the company's two largest customers (with over $75,000,000 in annual revenues).

1984-1985

Assistant Manager of Oak Creek Power Plant:  Responsible for central maintenance, engineering, and administration at what was then the state’s largest coal-fired power plant.

1977-1981

Senior Project Engineer at Wisconsin Electric:  Project administrator on numerous projects, including lead responsibility for the licensing, engineering, and construction of a new power plant. Also during part of this period, responsible for regulatory affairs and distribution planning and performed various generation planning studies involving unit life extension, plant retirement, cogeneration, and site selection.

Education

Master and Bachelor of Science Degrees in Mechanical Engineering 

  • Marquette University School of Engineering

Professional Papers/Books

  • Published numerous papers and articles on engineering and power industry subjects.
  • Contributing author of Electric Utilities Moving into 21st Century, edited by Gregory Enholm and Robert Malko, published by Public Utilities Reports, January, 1994.
  • Editor of Mechanical Engineering: A Century of Progress, ASME Milwaukee, January, 1981.

Professional Honors

  • Recipient of Centennial Medallion of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers                
  • Recipient of Engineering Alumni Service Award and Professional Achievement Award, Marquette University College of Engineering.

Professional Associations

  • Licensed Professional Engineer, registered in Wisconsin and Michigan
  • History and Heritage Chairman of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers– Milwaukee Section
  • Member of College of Engineering National Advisory Council of Marquette University
  • Member of the Society for Industrial Archeology

Other Interests

  • Biking, canoeing and traveling

Links to Additional Information

The following links provide additional information on my background and qualifications for office. 

1.   I am secretary and commissioner of the Whitefish Bay Historic Preservation Commission.  As part of this effort, we have been identifying buildings within the Village that have architectural and historical significance.  I have published this information in a book available at the Public Library and have also begun a periodic article on these sites on-line.  These articles can be found at: WhitefishBayNOW

2.   A website called ZOOMInfo aggregates and publishes information on individuals from various sources.  They have published information on my background at: zoominfo  

3.   I run a small consulting business in the energy field.  My business website can be found at: NorCENergy Consultants

4.   Kevin Buckley of WhitefishBay writes a great column about current events in WhitefishBay entitled 'Village Spillage'.  His column can be found at:  Village Spillage

5.   Kevin interviewed me about my candidacy and wrote a column summarizing the interview, which can be found at:  Trustee Candidate Interview

6.   The Village's new website can be found at: 
Village of Whitefish Bay, WI