Tom was born in the Netherlands to parents of Dutch and English heritage.Shortly after his birth, Tom and his parents moved to Singapore where he learned English from his mother and Mandarin and Malay from the servants. At age 5, the family moved back to the Netherlands where Tom had to learn Dutch in kindergarten.After attending high school, he moved to Oxford, England to further his education in English for a year.Tom’s first job in the hospitality business was as a Commi (server in training) at the London Hilton; Tom was rapidly promoted to a Chef de Rang (server).   Tom soon decided to make a career in the hospitality business and recognized the need for more training and schooling.Tom accepted a position at the Sonesta Amsterdam as a Front Desk clerk where he learned and gained experience using the Half Whitney system—along with a broader understanding of the operations of an organization in the hotel industry.   To gain formal education as a complement to his critical work experience, Tom enrolled at the Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, in their culinary program; he earned the “Grand Diploma” after two years.He then returned to the Sonesta Amsterdam as an accounting intern responsible for all aspects of accounting procedures.   Tom enrolled at Cornell University in the US and after completing classes, started to work at the Sonesta Key Biscayne (Miami) and various positions, including: Kitchen Chef Tournant, Sommelier, and Head Steward.One of his main responsibilities was to establish a new coffee shop in the hotel lobby.After gaining several years of experience with Sonesta, Tom moved to Boca Raton, Florida, to work at the 5-Star, 5-Diamond Boca Raton Resort & Club where he served in a variety of positions.   Over the next 20 years, Tom worked for many independent 5-Star, 5-Diamond resorts throughout the country such as the Broadmoor, Colorado Springs and the American Club (Kohler, WI) in a variety of roles such as Director of Catering, Director of Food & Beverage and Hotel General Manager.Approximately 10 years ago, Tom transitioned to and gained valuable experience in the private club industry starting in a support roll as the interim General Manager; and ultimately to the position of Club General Manager.   Tom’s diverse experiences and education have provided him with opportunities to develop a broad perspective of and approach to the numerous elements that contribute to the success of an organization in the hospitality industry.Along the way, he has developed a professional reputation for being fair, sincere and quite candid in providing constructive feedback to his staff, managers, and directors.These aspects of his collective experience, along with his entrepreneurial temperament, have provided Tom with an exclusive set of skills for auditing organizations within that industry.His audit reports are thorough, addressing all components of the day-to-day operations of the business; his feedback is direct and specific to the steps that can lead to a more successful—and profitable—organization.   Tom resides in Roanoke, Virginia, with his wife of 28 years; they have three adult children.