One of the highlights of my life is being part of the CooperRiis community. I am surrounded by an amazing community of gentle, kind, and honest people at work. I know how much I do not know, but each day, I use my strengths to put my values into action and move closer to my goals, one step at a time, just as I support my residents in getting closer to theirs.
After his undergraduate experience, Tom stayed on at Warren Wilson College and supervised the crew he worked on when he was a student, the Custodial Services crew (aka Heavy Duty Crew). “Supporting the students in learning a trade and keeping our buildings clean was one aspect of that job. The other way I contributed to student success was as a mentor. I noticed their growth, progress, breakdowns, sad times, break-ups, and slumps. Soon, I realized that supporting the students on my crew emotionally and relationally was my calling.”
From 2001-2005, Tom studied, worked, and engaged with service opportunities at Warren Wilson College and earned his Religious Studies Degree in 2005.
Tom enrolled in the Graduate Degree Program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Montreat College, NC, and graduated in 2018.
“Within four years of enrolling in grad school, I had a degree, a job at CooperRiis therapeutic community that shares my core values of recovery, respect, and dignity.
Tom is also a traditional Appalachian-style broom maker, creating whisk brooms, hearth brooms, classic upright brooms, and all types of dusters. He and his family live near Asheville.
