Meet Tom Peterson
I am a thoughtful, experienced, well educated leader with a depth of professional knowledge and skill and am highly responsive to community vision and citizen needs. I have a proven track record of translating good Ideas into effective action through successful collaboration between citizens, City leadership, and City programs.
My family and I have lived in the City of Fairfax (Country Club Hills) for 22 years and I am a native of Fairfax County. We love living here and want to be sure our City retains the character and values that make it so special. We have two dogs and three cats, all rescues. I’m thankful we live in a friendly place that is safe and scenic for walking our dogs and riding our bikes. I attended Fairfax County schools before receiving my BS in Biology from the College of William and Mary, MS in Environmental Management and Economics from Duke University, and MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.
My daughter also attended Fairfax County schools (Daniels Run, Katherine Johnson, and Fairfax High) before graduating from James Madison University and attending Virginia Commonwealth University, where she is in her last year of graduate school. My wife provides pastoral care and crisis intervention as a former clergy member and teaches piano lessons to children and adults. My mother lives in the City and was a real estate agent in Fairfax for over 50 years. My father was a senior scientist at the National Institutes of Health where he developed and patented biomedical instruments.
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Professional Background and Experience
Long Career in Professional Service
I have 42 years of career service in federal and state government, small business and finance, and the nonprofit sector and 20 years as an Adjunct Professor at three major universities. Since 2004 I have served as Founder and CEO of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Center for Climate Strategies with previous service as a Senior White House Advisor (Council of Economic Advisors and Council on Environmental Quality), Legislative Aide (Brookings Legislative Fellow) in the US Senate, Federal Economist with US EPA, Investment Bank Officer, and Division Chief for a state wildlife conservation agency. I also operate an historic Tourist Home in Faquier County. Since 2022, I have served as Chair of the City’s Environmental Sustainability Committee. I have a long track record of leadership, innovation, and consensus building and I will dedicate my service to improving public participation and representation of the community in City decisions.
Informed Stakeholder Collaboration
As Chair of the City’s Environmental Sustainability Committee (ESC), I have helped the Committee implement new City Sustainability and Stewardship goals and expand support to the City Council, program work with City Manager and staff, and community involvement on sustainable development issues including comprehensive planning, budgeting, education, forests, waste, climate change, energy, urban agriculture, and stormwater. The ESC is also helping the City identify methods for improved citizen collaboration and evaluation of policies.
Long Career in Higher Education
My teaching and mentoring service at universities as an Adjunct Professor over the past 20 years has included appointments to the Johns Hopkins University Energy Policy and Climate program and its Center for Security Studies, the Penn State Dickinson School of Law, and the George Mason University Department of Environmental Science and Policy. At Mason, I serve as a Co-Principal Investigator for a National Science Foundation, Accelerating Research Translation program to help faculty and students help local governments and stakeholders create climate resilient communities in Virginia, including the City of Fairfax.
Service to the City of Fairfax
My professional work has involved engagements in 40 US states and 20 countries to foster collaboration between governments, businesses, and local communities and achieve economic, environmental, and social progress. Through this, I have gained an appreciation for the quality of life in our City, its potential, and its pressing needs. Most of all, I have learned the importance of listening carefully to people from all perspectives, doing homework, and taking nothing for granted when it comes to planning for a better future and preparing for change.
