Tom Walsh

Tom Walsh serves in the U.S. government with the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the largest international health initiative any nation has ever undertaken to address a single disease.  He has been with PEPFAR since 2004, and served as acting head of the program in 2009. Tom is a native New Yorker, holds degrees from Duke, Texas, and Harvard, has worked at the Senate, and fancies himself an amateur comedian. But as a 7-game champion on Jeopardy!, no matter what else he does, he'll always be introduced as the Jeopardy Guy.

1. You won't really understand me unless you ve watched this movie(s):

Rock and Roll High School. It taught me the importance of striking a balance. Between rock and roll.

2. I'm most liable to get choked up when I hear about:

Most things, really. It makes it hard to work.

3. If I had a completely free day to do anything I wanted, I would:

Visit the International Date Line. To have an international date.

4. If you're going to give me a gift card, get me one from this store:

Really, how's about you just give me something from the place & not make me shop?

5. If I had a million dollars to give to a charity, I'd give it to:

Opportunity International. Microfinance, banking & insurance for the poor so they can pull themselves out of the poverty trap & not rely on the kindness of strangers (which, sadly, is always in short supply).

6. My go-to comfort food(s):

If only there was something that combined the icy power of ice and the creamy goodness of cream... oh well.

7. If I could snap my finger and make some problem in the world go away, it would be:

People snapping their fingers to make a problem go away, because did they check with me to make sure I agree it's a problem? No.

8. Home chore or professional task I hate to do:

Yes. I hate home chores and professional tasks. 

9. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that I watch or read:

Read tons of movie reviews... but watch hardly any movies. So I guess what it would take to turn that around would be for them to make movies that are actually reviews of movie reviews. I'd watch those, apparently.

10. What is your biggest accomplishment?

Let's all be on the lookout for this. It could happen at any time.

11. When did your parents feel most proud of you?

It's a tie, between the day I was born and every day since. Kind of makes me suspect it's not because I've been so great all of those days.

12. What has been your most successful Halloween costume? 

Really impossible to choose between the Human Corn on the Cob Skewer, the Metrosexual Andrew Jackson (from the 20 Dollar Bill), the Brannock Device (the thing they measure your foot with in the shoe store), the Nasal Avenger (long story), the State of Delaware, and the Spork.