Tom Springer Email & Phone Number

Battle Creek, Michigan

Serve as lead speechwriter for the president/CEO and Board of Trustees, to include position papers, issue research, presentation coaching and message development. Additionally, I act as host/moderator at grantee and foundation staff convenings and panel discussions. These have included gatherings with foundation executives and national experts as they discuss program strategies for the nonprofit leaders in attendance. Internally, I have served in the host/moderator role to interview the CEO at all-staff meetings as she updates staff on organizational change initiatives.

I worked for the Learning and Innovation team at the Kellogg Foundation. In part, we explored new and useful ways to extract meaning from the tons of grant reports and other data that comes our way. (About 50,000 pages worth per year!) Let's say we gave you a grant to help farmers share useful soil and water conservation that would protect Chesapeake Bay. Your solution was a calendar that was part gorgeous scenery (adorable cows included) but also a mini-field guide that reminded farmers when to till, plant, weed for thistles, etc. This is what we call a knowledge product: a video, book, DVDs, website, how-to guide and so on that conveys knowledge in a useful, interesting way that advances the greater good.

Battle Creek, Michigan

Edited the Foundation's magazine the International Journal, served as the CEO's speechwriter, produced videos for the foundation's website and wrote news releases that were probably too long, and certainly too long-winded.

Battle Creek, Mich., Lansing, Mich., Pontiac, Mich.,

I retired from the Michigan Army National Guard in 2002 as a master sergeant. During my service, I edited and wrote for the Wolverine Guard magazine, and trained in Germany, Panama, Honduras, Latvia, Lithuania and Italy as well as in locations across the United States. Primarily, I served with the 126th Press Camp Headquarters, and Company F (Long Range Surveillance) 425th Infantry.

Master'S Degree, Environmental Journalism

Activities and Societies: Am an active volunteer and past board member of the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy. I'm also a lector.

Bachelor'S Degree, Communications/Psychology