Thomas D. Tokmenko is a native Clevelander who currently resides in Strongsville, Ohio. Tom graduated from Parma Senior High School in 1970. Tom is an honorably discharged, service-connected disabled veteran who served in the U.S. Army, 82nd Airborne Division, from 1970 to 1973. Tom graduated from the Cleveland State University with a BA in 1978, pursued an MA at the University of Ottawa from 1978 to 1980, and earned a MBA from Baldwin Wallace College in 1988.
Tom retired from NASA in 2012 with over 37 years Federal Service. Tom is a recipient of NASA’s Exceptional Achievement Medal and was named NASA Contract Manager of the Year in 1992. Tom was the NASA Contracting Officer for the first U.S. commercial contract for launch services, subsequently used as a model by the Department of Defense, several government agencies, and the U.S. commercial launch industry. Tom also awarded the first contract between NASA Lewis Research Center and the Russian Space Agency for a Proton Feasibility Study in the early 1990’s, fostering early cooperation between the U.S. and Russia for development of the International Space Station. Between 1990 and 2010, Tom negotiated, wrote and managed precedent-setting launch service contracts totaling several billion dollars. Tom is a Stage IV MCRC survivor and counts his blessings.