Tom leads both Twitter's global crisis response program and US State Public Policy Team. Prior to joining Twitter, Tom was the Chief Policy Officer of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) in Washington D.C. where he oversaw IAVA’s legislative, research and political departments. Prior to working in Washington, Tom spent 10 years in the United States Army serving as both an enlisted Civil Affairs Specialist and a Cavalry Officer deploying to both Bosnia in 2000 and Baghdad in 2005. Tom attended the University of California Santa Barbara with a degree in Global Studies and International Relations. He is @TomTarantino on Twitter.