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Tom Pierson was raised and educated in the public schools of Norman, Oklahoma. He attended the University of Oklahoma on a Lew Wentz Scholarship and scholarship support from the U.S. Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps. After undergraduate studies in aerospace engineering, he received a bachelor’s degree in business administration with dual majors in management and accounting. He received particular distinction as a student leader in the Reserve Officers Training Corps by leading the 675th detachment Arnold Air Society Honor Corps and serving as Deputy Commander of the 1700 member student corps in his senior year.
After graduation, a major football related knee injury (since corrected) prevented regular service as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force, and he accepted an appointment as a professional accountant with the University of Oklahoma. During his three year career at the University, he was responsible for the introduction of the first computerized accounting system for the auxiliary enterprises of the University, and was elected a member, and eventual Chairman of the Employee Executive Council, precursor to the Administrative Staff Council.
In 1974 he was recruited by the new Sonoma State University to lead the establishment of a University Foundation for faculty research. This effort led to several leadership roles in the California State University system-wide Auxiliary Organizations Association and eventually to an appointment as Associate Director of the much larger Foundation at San Francisco State University where, for almost nine years, he led the research development and administration programs of the campus. In 1981 he received an MBA degree, writing a thesis on the effect of differing leadership styles in higher education management. During this period he assisted an adjunct faculty member (Professor Charles Seeger) in obtaining research funding for NASA’s fledgling SETI research program (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) and through this introduction met most of the early SETI researchers. In 1984, at the encouragement of SETI leaders such as Drs. Barney Oliver, John Billingham, and Jill Tarter, Pierson formally developed a vision he had introduced at an informal social gathering of SETI scientists: to develop a non-profit research organization that could serve as an institutional home for scientists and engineers interested in devoting their careers to the study of life in the universe. After enthusiastic acceptance of this concept, Pierson incorporated the SETI Institute on November 20, 1984, and by February, 1985 the Institute received its first grant. Pierson assumed the administrative lead for the Institute at its inception and, in addition to his responsibilities as Chief Executive Officer (originally Executive Director), he serves on the Board of Trustees of the Institute as Corporate Secretary. The Institute, well known for its stellar team of scientific principal investigators and distinguished Board of Trustees, has become widely recognized as one of the leading organizations in the world focused on astrobiology and the study of life beyond earth.
Degrees:
Pierson is married to the former Elyse Murray of San Francisco and has three children. He is a lifelong golfer, avid cyclist, and enjoys recreational racquetball.
Pierson is an elected member of the International Academy of Astronautics and has received numerous recognitions, including the NASA Public Service Medal and the NASA Public Service Group Award given to the SETI Institute and all of its staff for excellence in carrying out research and education in the areas of life in the universe and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
• Elected Member, International Academy of Astronautics
• Strathmore’s Who's Who registry of research and business leaders
• Marquis Who's Who in Finance and Industry
• Marquis Who's Who in the West
• Russell R. Meyers Award as the outstanding professional employee at the University of Oklahoma
• Vice Commandant's Award, Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps
• International Advisory Board–SETI Australia Centre (1996–2002); Now known as The S.E.T.I Research & Community Development Institute Limited
• Board of Directors of Social Tech, Inc. (now Critical Reach) of Burlingame, California (1995–2006)
• Board of Directors of the Molecular Research Institute of Palo Alto, California (1991–2002)
• Co-Chair, SETI Permanent Study Group, International Academy of Astronautics (2002–2003) Co-Chair, SETI Committee, International Academy of Astronautics (1999–2002) Now integrated with the SETI Permanent Study Group
• SETI Permanent Study Group, International Academy of Astronautics (2002–present)
• Coordinating Board of Directors, Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy [SOFIA] (1997–2001)
• Advisory Council, Astronomical Society of the Pacific (1991–1998)
• California State University Auxiliary Organization Association (AOA) Executive Committee (1981–1984)
• International Academy of Astronautics, Member (2004--present); Corresp. Member (1999–2004)
• American Association for the Advancement of Science (1990–present)
• National Space Society (1990–present)
• American Management Association (1988–present)
• American Astronomical Society (1985–present)
• Astronomical Society of the Pacific (1985–present)
• The Planetary Society (1985–present)
• International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life (1987–present)
• Society of Research Administrators (1976–present)
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (1970-72; 1988–present)
• Tournament Committee and Rules Official, Northern California Golf Association (1989–1999)
• Board of Directors, Shoreline Golf Club (1987–1988; President 1988)
• National Association of College and University Research Administrators (1976–1985)
• Western Association of College and University Business Officers (1974–1977)
• Southern Association of College and University Business Officers (1973–1974)
International Academy of Astronautics, IAF Congress
Bioastronomy Symposium, IAU Commission 51
Guest Lecturer
Panel Moderator/Speaker
Instructor, National Council of University Research Administrators
Guest Lecturer, Research Theory and Proposal Writing
![]() | This is not a Wikipedia article: It is an individual user's work-in-progress page, and may be incomplete and/or unreliable. For guidance on developing this draft, see
Wikipedia:So you made a userspace draft. Find sources:
Google (
books ·
news ·
scholar ·
free images ·
WP refs) ·
FENS ·
JSTOR ·
TWL |
Tom Pierson was raised and educated in the public schools of Norman, Oklahoma. He attended the University of Oklahoma on a Lew Wentz Scholarship and scholarship support from the U.S. Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps. After undergraduate studies in aerospace engineering, he received a bachelor’s degree in business administration with dual majors in management and accounting. He received particular distinction as a student leader in the Reserve Officers Training Corps by leading the 675th detachment Arnold Air Society Honor Corps and serving as Deputy Commander of the 1700 member student corps in his senior year.
After graduation, a major football related knee injury (since corrected) prevented regular service as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force, and he accepted an appointment as a professional accountant with the University of Oklahoma. During his three year career at the University, he was responsible for the introduction of the first computerized accounting system for the auxiliary enterprises of the University, and was elected a member, and eventual Chairman of the Employee Executive Council, precursor to the Administrative Staff Council.
In 1974 he was recruited by the new Sonoma State University to lead the establishment of a University Foundation for faculty research. This effort led to several leadership roles in the California State University system-wide Auxiliary Organizations Association and eventually to an appointment as Associate Director of the much larger Foundation at San Francisco State University where, for almost nine years, he led the research development and administration programs of the campus. In 1981 he received an MBA degree, writing a thesis on the effect of differing leadership styles in higher education management. During this period he assisted an adjunct faculty member (Professor Charles Seeger) in obtaining research funding for NASA’s fledgling SETI research program (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) and through this introduction met most of the early SETI researchers. In 1984, at the encouragement of SETI leaders such as Drs. Barney Oliver, John Billingham, and Jill Tarter, Pierson formally developed a vision he had introduced at an informal social gathering of SETI scientists: to develop a non-profit research organization that could serve as an institutional home for scientists and engineers interested in devoting their careers to the study of life in the universe. After enthusiastic acceptance of this concept, Pierson incorporated the SETI Institute on November 20, 1984, and by February, 1985 the Institute received its first grant. Pierson assumed the administrative lead for the Institute at its inception and, in addition to his responsibilities as Chief Executive Officer (originally Executive Director), he serves on the Board of Trustees of the Institute as Corporate Secretary. The Institute, well known for its stellar team of scientific principal investigators and distinguished Board of Trustees, has become widely recognized as one of the leading organizations in the world focused on astrobiology and the study of life beyond earth.
Degrees:
Pierson is married to the former Elyse Murray of San Francisco and has three children. He is a lifelong golfer, avid cyclist, and enjoys recreational racquetball.
Pierson is an elected member of the International Academy of Astronautics and has received numerous recognitions, including the NASA Public Service Medal and the NASA Public Service Group Award given to the SETI Institute and all of its staff for excellence in carrying out research and education in the areas of life in the universe and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
• Elected Member, International Academy of Astronautics
• Strathmore’s Who's Who registry of research and business leaders
• Marquis Who's Who in Finance and Industry
• Marquis Who's Who in the West
• Russell R. Meyers Award as the outstanding professional employee at the University of Oklahoma
• Vice Commandant's Award, Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps
• International Advisory Board–SETI Australia Centre (1996–2002); Now known as The S.E.T.I Research & Community Development Institute Limited
• Board of Directors of Social Tech, Inc. (now Critical Reach) of Burlingame, California (1995–2006)
• Board of Directors of the Molecular Research Institute of Palo Alto, California (1991–2002)
• Co-Chair, SETI Permanent Study Group, International Academy of Astronautics (2002–2003) Co-Chair, SETI Committee, International Academy of Astronautics (1999–2002) Now integrated with the SETI Permanent Study Group
• SETI Permanent Study Group, International Academy of Astronautics (2002–present)
• Coordinating Board of Directors, Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy [SOFIA] (1997–2001)
• Advisory Council, Astronomical Society of the Pacific (1991–1998)
• California State University Auxiliary Organization Association (AOA) Executive Committee (1981–1984)
• International Academy of Astronautics, Member (2004--present); Corresp. Member (1999–2004)
• American Association for the Advancement of Science (1990–present)
• National Space Society (1990–present)
• American Management Association (1988–present)
• American Astronomical Society (1985–present)
• Astronomical Society of the Pacific (1985–present)
• The Planetary Society (1985–present)
• International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life (1987–present)
• Society of Research Administrators (1976–present)
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (1970-72; 1988–present)
• Tournament Committee and Rules Official, Northern California Golf Association (1989–1999)
• Board of Directors, Shoreline Golf Club (1987–1988; President 1988)
• National Association of College and University Research Administrators (1976–1985)
• Western Association of College and University Business Officers (1974–1977)
• Southern Association of College and University Business Officers (1973–1974)
International Academy of Astronautics, IAF Congress
Bioastronomy Symposium, IAU Commission 51
Guest Lecturer
Panel Moderator/Speaker
Instructor, National Council of University Research Administrators
Guest Lecturer, Research Theory and Proposal Writing