Tom Porter – Musician, Composer, and Peacemaker

Tom Porter is an Iroquois elder, author, and peacemaker. He teaches conflict transformation at Boston University School of Theology as well as co-founding JustPeace.

Cal Fire leader Dan Friel will depart after leading one of California’s most destructive fire seasons and with mixed feelings: bittersweetness balanced by pride for all his work done at Cal Fire.

Early Life and Education

Tom Porter was an accomplished musician who taught college level music theory and directing for 12 years at Bismark-Mandan Community Chorus as well as being its director and church organist.

He and his wife Beverly have created a family foundation to aid children in need, helping build a children’s home in Tanzania, Africa as well as supporting disadvantaged teenagers in Sarasota, Florida.

As a youngster, Tom showed a keen interest in science and technology. His father was a chemist, providing Tom access to chemicals for experiments. With an affinity for electronics, he eventually joined IBM where he developed many technological innovations such as the mechanics behind their 3.5 inch floppy disk that shipped with every PC for 20 years.

Professional Career

Thom Porter has long been employed by California’s firefighting agency, joining with a bachelor’s degree in forest management. Over the course of nearly two decades he advanced through the ranks at the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection becoming San Diego County Departmental Unit Fire Chief, Southern Region Chief and eventually Chief of Strategic Planning for strategic planning purposes.

Cal Fire director Matt Conners assumed his post in 2018 and managed two of California’s toughest wildfire seasons – with last year seeing record 7.5 million acres burn, straining resources and blanketing communities with dangerous smoke.

At the University of St. Thomas, Porter teaches memoir writing and helps others tell their own stories. He has an affinity for helping those from working-class backgrounds and is dedicated to giving their voices a platform.

Achievement and Honors

Thom Porter is an active musician, composer and educator. He has composed pieces commissioned by various organizations such as the San Francisco Girls Chorus, National Pastoral Musicians Association and North Dakota Music Teachers Association. Additionally, he serves on the boards of both Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra and Central Dakota Children’s Choir.

He is also the author of five SIGGRAPH papers and was the first person to develop software for commercial raster graphics devices. Additionally, he has served as a visiting professor at several universities including UC Berkeley.

He serves as a mentor and public speaker on venture capital and business valuation topics throughout Michigan, including frequent public talks. For his efforts he has received numerous accolades – most recently winning the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award from National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA).

Personal Life

Porter was an influential artist whose works inspired many younger figurative painters of the 1970s and beyond, inspiring many younger figurative painters as they explored figurative painting techniques. Additionally, he was an outspoken critic, writing weekly reviews for Art News as well as contributing regularly to The Nation and contributing regularly in articles written for it by The Nation newspaper.

Maori politics was another area in which he excelled, serving as president of Tai-Rawhiti District Maori Land Council and briefly commanding the seventh New Zealand Contingent during South African war, where it saw more action than any other unit, experiencing greater casualties than all of New Zealand forces combined.

Porter was known for being friendly and warm throughout his life, always greeting friends and strangers with a big smile and firm handshake. Additionally, he was an accomplished singer-song-writer and musician; particularly enjoying jazz, blues, and folk music genres.

Net Worth

Porter has also put his acting talent to good use voicing video game characters for both Marvel and DC Comics superhero games, such as “X-Men: Destiny”, “Batman: Arkham Knight”, and “Lego DC Super-Villains.”

Porter first gained attention on television as Jason Street, a high school footballer featured on NBC series Friday Night Lights for its first three seasons before exiting.

Porter also finds success through music. With a huge social media following and earnings through TikTok posts, merchandise sales, and live performances he amassed a net worth of $14 Million while currently remaining single. When not working he enjoys traveling with friends and family.