Tom Vogan is a full-time resident in the Estero, Florida area. He has resided in Florida, on and off, since January 1974, when he first moved to Miami and then moved to Palm Beach Gardens in 1981. He left South Florida in 1989 for a new opportunity in Chicago. He returned to Jensen Beach, Florida, for a brief period (2011-2012). Upon retirement, he returned to Lakewood Ranch, Florida, in 2014 and finally settled in Estero in 2019. He lives in The Place at Corkscrew community.
Tom has lived in several planned unit development communities that were organized with homeowner associations, both in Florida and Illinois. He served as a board member and as President and Treasurer on a couple of HOA boards. As such, he was trained in and understands the related Florida statutes. In addition, he was directly involved in the annexation activities for communities and lands into the City of Palm Beach Gardens; a major accomplishment for the community residents.
Tom graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a registered professional engineer in Florida and nine other states. He began his engineering and industrial career with the US nuclear navy, where he worked at Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory, responsible for the design of fluid and mechanical systems for naval nuclear reactor plants.
He then took a position at Florida Power & Light, where he served in the design and construction of commercial nuclear power plants, ultimately being promoted to engineering manager at the St. Lucie two-unit nuclear power plant. After 17-plus years at the nuclear utility, he took a position at Sargent & Lundy, a major engineering company in Chicago. He served as a Senior Manager in various roles and responsibilities, from supporting nuclear plant engineering services to a manager in charge of power plant designs for domestic use. He also supported international coal plants, gas-powered combined cycle plants, and cogeneration facilities. After retiring from full-time service, he remains a part-time engineering consultant at Sargent & Lundy.
Tom also volunteers his time and technical services to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in the development of codes and standards. ASME is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization registered in the State of New York. He is the Senior Vice President of the ASME Standards & Certification Sector and a prior Chair of the ASME Board on Nuclear Codes & Standards. He is currently deeply involved in the advanced nuclear reactor power plant development activities.