He earned a BS in Forestry and a BA in Philosophy from the University of the South (Sewanee), an MA in Systematic Theology from the Catholic University of America, and a PhD in Historical Theology from Emory University. There, under the direction of Lewis Ayres, he wrote his dissertation on Pneumatology in the Latin Fathers. That text was revised and published as Ascetic Pneumatology from John Cassian to Gregory the Great (Oxford, 2013) as part of the Oxford Early Christian Studies series. Beyond his interests in patristics, spirituality, and theological anthropology, Tommy is also a volunteer firefighter in Pasco County, FL.