Tommy Spaulding
Encyclopedia
Thomas J. Spaulding Jr. (August 31, 1969) is an American author and president
of Spaulding Companies LLC. His book It's Not Just Who You Know was released on August 10, 2010. Spaulding is also the former CEO and President of one of the largest non-profit organizations in the world, Up with People
, and founded Leader's Challenge
which has grown to become the largest high school civics program in the state of Colorado.
and attended Suffern High School
, graduating in 1987 as an Eagle Scout
and senior class president. He completed a BA
degree in Political Science at East Carolina University (ECU)
in 1992. At ECU Tommy was named senior class president and was the head of 12 different organizations and was asked to speak at commencement. At graduation he received the Most Outstanding Leader award and in 2006 was awarded the Outstanding Alumni Award, the highest honor given to an East Carolina alumnus. Later he received a MBA
from Bond University
, where he was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar
in 1998 and a MA
in Non-Profit Management from Regis University
in 2005 where he was a Colorado Trust Fellow
.
and a member of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program
where he worked with the staff of the 1998 Winter Olympics
in Nagano, Japan. Spaulding also served as a U.S. Congressional Intern and a member of Bob Dole
’s 1996 presidential campaign. Soon after his work on the campaign, Spaulding was named the Director of Corporate Affiliates for Up with People.
which grew to become the largest high school civics and leadership program in the state of Colorado. Spaulding later co-founded the Center for Third Sector Excellence, a non-profit leadership organization that was the impetus behind the National Leadership Institute. At this time he also founded Dialogue for Tomorrow, a conference promoting the teaching of global leadership in young adults throughout different countries.
Spaulding continued to be involved in leadership throughout the early 2000s. In 2003 he became a graduate of the Leadership Program of the Rockies, "America’s premier institute to develop, strengthen, train and equip emerging leaders to reach new heights" and in 2005 he graduated from Leadership Denver, which "brings together leaders to discuss and learn about the challenges facing the Denver Metro area and for the purpose of expanding their commitment to voluntary civic responsibility." In July, 2005 Spaulding was named CEO and President of the non-profit global leadership program, Up With People
. He became the youngest CEO in the organization's 42 year history.
After stepping down as CEO and President of Up with People, Spaulding created Spaulding Companies, LLC, a for-profit company and Spaulding Leadership Institute, a non-profit organization. Both corporations are umbrella organizations with focus areas in consulting, speaking and books as well as leadership development programs, respectively. The consulting side of the business, whose guiding principle is "put people first and business will follow" has worked with countless corporations, universities, foundations and non-profits and works to develop "a leadership and service vision for their organization." As a speaker, Tommy Spaulding has spoken to hundreds of organizations, schools, and corporations on four continents and was called "one of the most inspirational and talented speakers in the country" by Ken Blanchard
, author of more than 30 leadership books including The One Minute Manager.
Spaulding Leadership Institute runs three youth leadership programs, The National Leadership Institute, Colorado Closeup and Kid's Challenge.
All three of the leadership programs are non-profit organizations and are run out of the Denver Metropolitan Area by Tommy and his staff.
Tommy Spaulding currently lives in the Denver Metropolitan area with his family.
with a forward by Ken Blanchard. The book's release date is August 10, 2010 and has been described as "the new How to Win Friends and Influence People
for the twenty-first century." The candid and revealing book shows readers how to "take them one step further to accomplish the impossible in [their] lives and careers." Spaulding explains that "every relationship is a two-way street; we never know when a chance encounter can change the direction of a person's life." The purpose of the book is described as showing the reader "how... to expand our worlds and achieve our goals, and make a difference in our jobs, our careers, and our communities."
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of Spaulding Companies LLC. His book It's Not Just Who You Know was released on August 10, 2010. Spaulding is also the former CEO and President of one of the largest non-profit organizations in the world, Up with People
Up with People
Up with People is an international education organization founded in 1968 by J. Blanton Belk, building from roots in the similar "Sing-Out" program of 1965. Up With People is best known for their musical performances by international casts consisting of 70–100 students from, on average, 20...
, and founded Leader's Challenge
Leader's Challenge
Leader's Challenge is a Colorado, USA, based nonprofit organization that provides leadership training to high potential students through experiential education programs...
which has grown to become the largest high school civics program in the state of Colorado.
Early life and education
Thomas J. Spaulding Jr. was born in Suffern, New YorkSuffern, New York
Suffern is a village in the Town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of the State of New Jersey; east of Hillburn; south of Montebello and west of Airmont...
and attended Suffern High School
Suffern High School
Suffern High School is located in the Ramapo Central School District in Suffern, New York. Students participate in classes from 7:30 – 14:05 EST. The school's mascot is a Mountain Lion and its newspaper is the Mountain Echo. Its news program is SHS News...
, graduating in 1987 as an Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)
Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America . A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men...
and senior class president. He completed a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in Political Science at East Carolina University (ECU)
East Carolina University
East Carolina University is a public, coeducational, engaged doctoral/research university located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statute and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina, the university is the largest institution of higher learning in...
in 1992. At ECU Tommy was named senior class president and was the head of 12 different organizations and was asked to speak at commencement. At graduation he received the Most Outstanding Leader award and in 2006 was awarded the Outstanding Alumni Award, the highest honor given to an East Carolina alumnus. Later he received a MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
from Bond University
Bond University
Bond University is a private university located in Robina, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is also the first private university established in Australia...
, where he was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar
Ambassadorial Scholarships
Ambassadorial Scholarships is the oldest program of the Rotary Foundation and probably the best-known. Since 1947, nearly 38,000 men and women from about 100 nations have studied abroad under its auspices. Today it is the world's largest privately funded international scholarships program. Nearly...
in 1998 and a MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Non-Profit Management from Regis University
Regis University
Regis University is a private, co-educational Roman Catholic, Jesuit university in the United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1877, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
in 2005 where he was a Colorado Trust Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
.
Early career and travels to Japan
After graduating from East Carolina, Spaulding became the Business Partner Sales Manager at IBM/Lotus DevelopmentLotus Software
Lotus Software is a software company with headquarters in Westford, Massachusetts...
and a member of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program
JET Programme
or is a Japanese government initiative that brings college graduates—mostly native speakers of English—to Japan as Assistant Language Teachers and Sports Education Advisors in Japanese kindergartens, elementary, junior high and high schools, or as Coordinators for International Relations in...
where he worked with the staff of the 1998 Winter Olympics
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
in Nagano, Japan. Spaulding also served as a U.S. Congressional Intern and a member of Bob Dole
Bob Dole
Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
’s 1996 presidential campaign. Soon after his work on the campaign, Spaulding was named the Director of Corporate Affiliates for Up with People.
Founding major businesses
In 2000, Spaulding founded Leader's ChallengeLeader's Challenge
Leader's Challenge is a Colorado, USA, based nonprofit organization that provides leadership training to high potential students through experiential education programs...
which grew to become the largest high school civics and leadership program in the state of Colorado. Spaulding later co-founded the Center for Third Sector Excellence, a non-profit leadership organization that was the impetus behind the National Leadership Institute. At this time he also founded Dialogue for Tomorrow, a conference promoting the teaching of global leadership in young adults throughout different countries.
CEO of Up With People
Spaulding continued to be involved in leadership throughout the early 2000s. In 2003 he became a graduate of the Leadership Program of the Rockies, "America’s premier institute to develop, strengthen, train and equip emerging leaders to reach new heights" and in 2005 he graduated from Leadership Denver, which "brings together leaders to discuss and learn about the challenges facing the Denver Metro area and for the purpose of expanding their commitment to voluntary civic responsibility." In July, 2005 Spaulding was named CEO and President of the non-profit global leadership program, Up With People
Up with People
Up with People is an international education organization founded in 1968 by J. Blanton Belk, building from roots in the similar "Sing-Out" program of 1965. Up With People is best known for their musical performances by international casts consisting of 70–100 students from, on average, 20...
. He became the youngest CEO in the organization's 42 year history.
Spaulding Companies and Spaulding Leadership Institute
After stepping down as CEO and President of Up with People, Spaulding created Spaulding Companies, LLC, a for-profit company and Spaulding Leadership Institute, a non-profit organization. Both corporations are umbrella organizations with focus areas in consulting, speaking and books as well as leadership development programs, respectively. The consulting side of the business, whose guiding principle is "put people first and business will follow" has worked with countless corporations, universities, foundations and non-profits and works to develop "a leadership and service vision for their organization." As a speaker, Tommy Spaulding has spoken to hundreds of organizations, schools, and corporations on four continents and was called "one of the most inspirational and talented speakers in the country" by Ken Blanchard
Ken Blanchard
Kenneth Hartley Blanchard is an American author and management expert. His book The One Minute Manager has sold over 13 million copies and has been translated into 37 languages...
, author of more than 30 leadership books including The One Minute Manager.
Spaulding Leadership Institute runs three youth leadership programs, The National Leadership Institute, Colorado Closeup and Kid's Challenge.
- National leadership academy|National Leadership Academy is a four day summer program held in Denver, Colorado, which "engages high school students in leadership training, service learning and civic engagement through participation in an intensive Summer Academy."
- Colorado Closeup is the state's largest civic-education initiative, bringing nearly 8.000 high school students from across Colorado to the State Capitol for "three action packed days designed to explore state and local government."
- Kid's Challenge is a program currently in development which is designed to engage and immerse elementary school children in some basic leadership and learning activities.
All three of the leadership programs are non-profit organizations and are run out of the Denver Metropolitan Area by Tommy and his staff.
Personal life
Tommy Spaulding currently lives in the Denver Metropolitan area with his family.
Book and Upcoming Book Tour
Tommy Spaulding has written a book titled It's Not Just Who You Know: Transform Your Life (And Your Organization) By Turning Colleagues and Contacts Into Lasting, Genuine Relationships published by Random HouseRandom House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
with a forward by Ken Blanchard. The book's release date is August 10, 2010 and has been described as "the new How to Win Friends and Influence People
How to Win Friends and Influence People
How to Win Friends and Influence People is one of the first bestselling self-help books ever published. Written by Dale Carnegie and first published in 1936, it has sold 15 million copies world-wide....
for the twenty-first century." The candid and revealing book shows readers how to "take them one step further to accomplish the impossible in [their] lives and careers." Spaulding explains that "every relationship is a two-way street; we never know when a chance encounter can change the direction of a person's life." The purpose of the book is described as showing the reader "how... to expand our worlds and achieve our goals, and make a difference in our jobs, our careers, and our communities."
External links
- TommySpaulding.com - homepage of Spaulding Companies LLC
- Spaulding Leadership Institute
- Summary Biography from The Sweeney Agency