Rear Adm. Tom Jurkowsky is a public relations professional with nearly 50 years of experience in the defense, corporate and government sectors.

 

Tom served on active duty for 31 years, entering the service in 1969 as an enlisted man and retired in 2000 as a rear admiral. After his tours as an enlisted man, he earned his commission and served as a surface warfare officer. He was selected to be a public affairs specialist in 1973 and handled crises such as the loss of sailors’ lives; ship collisions and fires; the infamous Tailhook scandal; and numerous unfavorable incidents at the U.S. Naval Academy. He also assisted in the production of several Navy-related Hollywood movies such as Top Gun.

 

During this career, Tom served in numerous theaters around the world. This included several Pentagon postings in Washington, DC His final position in the Navy was as its Chief of Information—the Navy’s chief spokesman and head of its entire public affairs effort. In this role he also served as an advisor to the Secretary of the Navy, the Chief of Naval Operations and other senior leaders in the Department of the Navy. 

 

Following his Navy career, Tom served as the vice president for media relations for the Lockheed Martin Corporation, the world’s largest defense contractor. He then joined the U.S. Treasury Department where he served as the U.S. Mint’s chief of corporate communications.

 

Tom serves on the board of directors of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), an advocacy organization that supports a strong national defense. Tom has written numerous opinion pieces supporting MOAA’s priority issues and has met with Congressional leaders to discuss these issues.

 

Tom’s holds an undergraduate degree in Journalism from Boston University and a graduate degree from American University in Public Relations.

 

Tom has also served as an adjunct instructor in communications at Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, Maryland. He is married and lives in Annapolis, Maryland with his wife Sally. They have two grown daughters.