Tom Briggs

Mentorship Commitment Preference: Engage in a long-term mentorship (connect with your mentee throughout the semester, outside of LinkUp events — frequency and format are flexible). Available for virtual and in-person mentoring. 

Industry: Government (Financial Regulation)

Areas Tom is interested in mentoring: 

• Internship Guidance
• Career Planning
• Networking Strategies
• Interview Preparation
• Communication Skills
• Graduate School Advice

Bio: I’m an analyst in the Division of Investment Management at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. For more than 15 years, I’ve conducted applied research, program evaluation, modeling, and simulation for federal, state, local, and tribal governments, as well as foundations and nonprofit organizations.

Before joining the SEC, I worked as a research psychologist and data analyst in the U.S. Intelligence Community, focusing on mixed methods research, organizational culture and performance, and predictive analytics. I began my career at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago and later managed a program providing technical assistance to state and American Indian tribal agencies. My research has been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national conferences, and in 2018 I received the Hatcher Turner Award from the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals.

I earned my PhD in computational social science from George Mason University, where I studied computational approaches to management and organizations and complexity science applied to mass violence. I also hold a master’s degree in industrial-organizational psychology and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from University of Maryland Baltimore County.

How did you get your first job? My very first job was as a paperboy (newspaper carrier) at age 12. I contacted the newspaper and said I wanted the job!  

If you were starting your career today, what is the one piece of advice you would give yourself? Ship early and ship often. Done is better than perfect. Take more risks. 

In what ways has your career path been unique or unconventional? Three majors (science —> humanities —> social science) in college helped shape my approach to work and life. 

What career paths have you explored or transitioned between? Sales, healthcare, health policy / public health research, industrial-organizational psychology, people analytics, regulatory finance analytics, teaching (undergraduate and graduate).  

What skills or experiences have been most valuable in your career? Empathy. It enables me to be a better communicator, teammate, and to work well with executives and leaders. 

Tom is open to participating in informational interviews