TED Community » Thomas Campbell

Sign in to send Thomas an email »

About Me

Born in the Cradle of Liberty, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Began Catholic School, 1st Grade, at the age of 5. Raised by strong, working women (mother and grandmother) and the only White kid on my block in the 60s, I grew up with an appreciation of equal rights and race and gender discrimination that many White males never get to experience. Left Philly, went to 12 other Catholic and mostly public schools as a Navy brat, before stopping. Thespian/Gleek/Speech Forensic Competitor/Chess Club/Mathematician, graduated from Milton High School, in Milton, FL. Awarded AF ROTC scholarship to Georgia Tech in Mathematics (Computer Science), continued on through several different colleges; BA in MIS, MS in CS, Microsoft and CompTIA certified. Spent 4 years in U.S. Air Force, in Alexandria, LA, got out and hired into Management Training Program for Woolworth's--which went bankrupt. Went to Montgomery Ward as hardware assistant manager, then promoted to Manager of soft lines (Men's/Women's/Shoes)--MW also now bankrupt. Joined Civil Service, worked as Writer/Editor/Chief of Marketing for MWR/Services Squadron, at England AFB--now closed. Worked at AF NAF Purchasing Office as Systems Analyst, at AF Personnel Center as Senior Systems Analyst, at Brooke Army Medical Center (now San Antonio Military Medical Center) as Manager of Help Desk, Desktop Support (Hardware and Software), Web and Special Projects. Briefly worked as S6 (Information Management Officer) for 410th Expeditionary Contracting Brigade; now at 106th Signal Brigade as Strategic Planner, Project Manager and Business Process/Intelligence Specialist. Married for 28 years to the same amazing woman; father, grandfather, Godfather and "Uncle" to many. Guitarist/singer/member of both a contemporary Catholic Church choir and an oldies/light rock/crossover-country band. Years to go before retirement, still active, sleep 4-5 hours / night (some nights less), so I have a lot of time to squander messing about on the Internet. Lovin' life, lookin' forward to the next 50 years on the planet. Should be exciting. "But I have promises to keep, / And miles to go before I sleep, / And miles to go before I sleep."

Location:
United States, San Antonio, TX
Current organization:
Department of Defense
Current role:
Strategic Planner & Business Intelligence Manager
Gender:
Male
Areas of expertise:
Computers, Networks & security, Music, Project Management
I am:
Consultant, Educator/Teacher, Musician, Performer, Policy maker, Project manager, Public servant, Student, Technologist, Writer/Editor
Associations:
Human Rights Campaign, Catholic Church
Languages:
English, Spanish, French
Universities:
Georgia Institute of Technology, Park University, St. Mary's University
Member Picture Member Picture Member Picture

More About Me

I'm passionate about

...being an American--and a good world citizen. But more passionate about equal rights for all American citizens, especially minorities of any flavor (race, creed, sexuality).

An idea worth spreading

Vote Against the Incumbent - No Exceptions. Eradicate career politicians. Revoke the Income Tax to institute a National Sales Tax, and retrain/redirect all tax-code-related careers (Tax Attorneys, Tax Accountants, IRS, etc.) to useful occupations.

Talk to me about

...anything. Always willing to learn, always interested in what people have to say and what they believe.

People don't know that I'm good at

...anything. I'm a dilettante, a true Renaissance Man.

Comments

  • TEDCred score: 0.00 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

  • A reply on Conversation: Is the internet, not formal education, the new great equalizer?

    Oct 7 2011: @Richard: Ummm...this discussion is not for 3rd world people without access to the Internet, so calling it myopic or self-centric IS bizarre. Of COURSE it's irrelevant to those living without the basics of climate control and (fairly) reliable electicity and microwave dinners and filtered water available on tap--or in bottles from the supermarket. This discussion isn't for those folks any more than a discussion of the relative dangers of cholera vs. malaria or leprosy vs. the plague are applicable to most of us here in America. Those folks are not going to "catch up" with the industrialized or information-based economies of the rest of the world no matter how much education OR Internet access we provide--at least, not in my lifetime. To those of us writing from comfy chairs with laptops over wireless connections sipping a non-fat, low-foam Chai Tea Latté (with a splash of Pumpkin Spice!) in Starbucks, however, the discussion is very relevant. I've heard a lot of rumblings, lately, about the lessened value of formal education, and how it has a reduced and lengthened time to recoup the ROI, and a lot of sage, elder folks are giving advice to young folks about the alternative educations available, like vocational schools and such. But I'll tell you this: as a society, we still respect (and for our leaders, we EXpect) those degrees. Consequently, the difference in where you will end up in life with and without a degree is going to remain large for quite some time, Internet or no. Further, the most valuable things I learned at school during my years of formal education were NOT the knowledge itself (most of which has a shelf-life and hard expiration date) but my learning about a larger world through encounters with people from other cultures, my skills at time management and prioritization, the moral and ethical guidance from my instructors, the ability to organize thoughts and speak and interact with my fellow students, teachers and those I mentored along the way.

Favorite talks

This member doesn't have any favorite talks yet.