Alaska Tobacco Control Alliance

Five years ago as the community grant coordinator in Nome, Tom developed a strong tobacco prevention message and carefully built a network of advocates who helped him celebrate smokefree workplaces. Several years later, when he moved, most of Nome’s restaurants had gone voluntarily smokefree. Once In Kotzebue, Tom volunteered and joined the Northwest Tobacco Coalition. His non-confrontational supportive energy continues to help him develop relationships with local partners. Tom is a teacher who has led by example and has generously and gently taught the tobacco prevention community what he has learned about building connections in the rural north.