Throughout his life, Tom Mast has maintained a strong interest in energy. It started as a student at the University of Texas at Austin where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1960 in Mechanical Engineering. He continued his studies in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University where he received a MSME degree in 1961. He worked summers in the oil fields.

His career began as a Navy Civil Engineer Corps officer in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard’s power generation department and in Spain. After finishing his naval service, he graduated from the Harvard Business School to add a business perspective to his engineering background. His subsequent career was in the management of manufacturing operations and engineering. He held management and executive positions in an oil tool and forging company, an integrated manufacturer of fabricated and machined equipment, and a personal computer corporation. He also founded a modular home company making energy-efficient starter homes.

Mast was responsible for new product development in most of his positions and saw many successful products from conception to market. He holds four patents. In recent years, he has consulted in product development processes as well as in manufacturing.

Mast’s extensive experience in the manufacturing and engineering industries has helped to shape his ability to understand the complex nature of the energy crisis in America. His career has offered opportunity to better grasp the technical data and information that surrounds energy, oil, and the energy alternatives. He also understands well how fundamental cheap and abundant energy has been to our prosperity. He wrote “Over a Barrel” because he fears that too many Americans don’t understand the implications of the impending oil shortage, including those charged with resolving the problem. We don’t have a grasp of the lead times required to identify and develop alternatives to oil, especially for transportation. Having no affiliation with any particular industry or political group allows him to write free from bias and to present a balanced picture.

He and his wife live in Austin, Texas. He has two grown sons, both graduate engineers with MBA’s from Duke University, and five grandchildren.