Testimonials
Note that my LinkedIn profile also lists some colleague recommendations.
“Tom is the best and brightest IBM has to offer as their top content expert and leader. During my time in the Design Program Office as Content Design Lead, I watched in awe as Tom built style guides to set the content tone, voice, strategy, and more for the largest org (Cloud and Cognitive), and establish and lead our Content Design Guild which I served on as a committee co-chair.
Tom would regularly pull in top thought leaders from the industry to speak in our guild, develop workshops, invite internal experts, and more. Tom has incredibly deep knowledge as a content designer.
I consider myself incredibly lucky to have been able to work with Tom. Above all, he is kind and humble, and really a joy to be around. He truly embodies the human-centered principles that designers always tout, but don’t always deliver on (he does). And, he goes above and beyond, making sure he shares his wisdom regularly by speaking at industry events.”
— Allison Biesboer
Former Content Designer and Strategist at IBM
Now Senior Content Design Manager at Visa
“It was my utmost honor to work with and learn from Tom during my time at IBM. I was constantly in awe of how much Tom accomplished as he worked diligently to establish standards, practices, and culture of IBM's content design program.
A true catalyst, Tom had a knack for bringing people along with him, sparking participation, being inclusive of perspectives and voices, and championing progress bit by bit.
And on top of all that, I can say that Tom is an impressively thoughtful content designer who works from a great wellspring of knowledge and experience about his craft. He was always generous with his time when I'd seek advice or collaboration. I'd work with Tom again — and follow his lead — in a heartbeat.”
— Jeremy Burton
Former Senior UX and Content Designer at IBM
Now Director of Content Design at Upwork
“As one of the first official content designers at IBM, Tom helped build the practice from the ground up, constantly finding ways to elevate the craft and advocate for content design as a strategic partner. He has an incredible way of developing and scaling content solutions, all while contributing back to the community as a mentor.
I don't think I'd be where I'm at in my career if it weren't for Tom's incredible leadership, support, and passion for the craft.”
— Maranda Bodas
Former Content Designer at IBM
Now Senior Staff Content Designer & Design Manager at Google
“It's very rare to find someone so knowledgeable in their field and so willing to share. I have had the pleasure of working with Tom on a number of complex enterprise products and I was constantly impressed by his drive for consistent, personable, and professional UX copy. He was always quick to share his thinking and knowledge, and I'm not sure he's even aware of how many of his teachings I use on a daily basis.
Not only is Tom a fantastic beacon for his own craft, he constantly seeks to extend his skillset into other areas, such as more traditional design disciplines and even front-end development. This makes it super easy to communicate quickly and directly on source files resulting in a very productive working relationship. Tom does all this, whilst honestly being one of the kindest people I've met in this industry! I highly recommend Tom as a colleague, mentor, and friend.”
— Peter Loveland
Former UI/UX Designer at IBM
Now Senior Product Designer at GitHub
“Tom is a pleasure to work with. He designs experiences with words, the right ones, the proper ones, the just enough ones. The result is a better engagement and dialogue with the reader or user of the tool, article or product he’s involved in.
I’ve had the pleasure to collaborate with Tom across multiple projects and I always leave with a deeper understanding on how to better communicate within a team and with users.”
— Esteban Pérez-Hemminger
Former Design Lead at IBM
Now Staff Interaction Designer at Google
“Tom is truly outstanding. A man of deep integrity and sound judgement, who always maintains a positive attitude. He's one of the best enablers I know. He gathers the right people for a project, encourages them to say and do what they believe to be best for the project, and works harder than anyone else on the project to clear obstacles, keep focus, create momentum and document outcomes.”
— Barry Gunner
Software Engineer at IBM
“It has been a pleasure working with you. Thank you for the time and talent you have dedicated to helping me learn more about content design, contributing to the visibility of and opportunities for content professionals at IBM, and (most importantly) improving our clients' experience with our content. I appreciate your positivity, collaboration style, and ability to cut through the noise!”
— Janene Franke
Former Business Transformation Program Manager at IBM
Now Vice President, Professional Services at AMCS Group
“Thank you Tom for always pushing the boundaries of what we're doing from a content, strategy, and offering perspective.”
— Madison Heck
Former Product Manager at IBM
Now Staff Product Manager, AI at Clio
“I have worked with Tom for many years on and off and on many content firsts at IBM from the Content Design Guild to starting a new role of content designer in our business unit. He has been someone I look up to for content knowledge and advice and I'm always excited to work with him on any content projects, especially those focused on broader initiatives.
Tom has great big ideas and an ability to see things from a higher-level perspective that I find invaluable. He always brings fresh and plentiful thoughts to the table along with realistic expectations and practical plans for what we can actually get done. He is definitely a doer and I appreciate working with him because there's always something tangible delivered out of any effort.
Personally, working with Tom has always been great - he is kind, engaging, respectful, and supportive as a colleague and always gives his all to whatever he's involved with. His deep expertise on IBM content guidelines and style rules has made him one of our content leaders. I frequently reference the UX copy educational course and content guidance website he created. Both are essential resources in my day-to-day not only for the information they provide, but the excellent and easy-to-follow way in which they were written and organized.”
— Holly King
UX Content Design Lead at IBM
“Tom was my content design mentor at IBM, and I couldn’t have asked for a better one. He’s an incredibly knowledgeable and thoughtful designer who’s always willing to share his expertise and support others.
He gave me considered career advice and supported me across all aspects of my job. For example, helping me prepare for an external design conference, offering feedback that refined and enhanced my presentation. He also ran a brilliant session for my team on using AI in content design, where he demoed a tool he and his team developed to automatically check Figma files for alignment with the IBM Style Guide. It was such an impressive and forward-thinking project — a perfect reflection of Tom’s mix of creativity, innovation, and deep content knowledge.
Beyond his skills, Tom stands out for his compassion and genuine care for the people he mentors. I learned so much from him, and I’m really grateful for his support and encouragement. Anyone who gets the chance to work with him will learn a lot and enjoy the process.”
— Shravan Amin
Former Content Designer at IBM
Now Founder's Associate at Nokular.com