Brookfield East Class of 2012
Thomas Wester (East ‘12), graduated first in his class of 1,078 at the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) in 2016. In addition to his top honor, in 2022 he was selected as the U.S. Navy’s Shiphandler of the Year!
Following graduation from BEHS in 2012, he attended the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. As a Midshipman 1st Class, Wester had received many accomplishments, awards, and leadership roles in his time at the USNA. He has published multiple articles on cyber warfare and mathematical modeling, nationally and internationally. In 2015, Wester was selected as a Trident Scholar and researched and presented a thesis on the subject of mathematical modeling titled Mathematical Modeling: Immune System Dynamics In The Presence of Cancer And Immunodeficiency In Vivo. Wester was a Midshipman Fellow to the Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership and a Montor Scholar by the Academy’s Leadership, Ethics and Law Department. In addition to his academic pursuits, Thomas participated as a member of the Varsity Offshore Sailing Team where he served as a JV Captain. Immediately following graduation, he attended Stanford University where he earned his Masters degree in 2018. In 2022, he attended and graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval War College. He’s a published author across a range of periodicals as well as peer-reviewed, professional journals.
Following his Master’s work, he reported to San Diego to serve as a Surface Warfare Officer. Since starting in his position, Tom has traveled with the Navy to 5 continents, 36 countries, and has lived abroad in both Japan as well as the United Kingdom. He recently completed a tour as the Navigator of the USS Howard, a guided missile destroyer stationed in the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet in Yokosuka, Japan and is currently serving as a Battle Watch Captain at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Allied Maritime Command. On a daily basis, he leads a diverse team of Sailors from all 30 NATO member nations and coordinates operations in an area stretching from the eastern U.S. seaboard across the Atlantic Ocean to the North Pole as well as the Baltic, Black, and Mediterranean Seas.
In early 2022, he began competing in the Navy’s Shiphandler of the Year Competition. Over the course of four months, he competed against contestants from 191 crews across the Navy in a series of Shiphandling events while being judged by senior officers within the Surface Warfare Community. After five rounds of competition, Tom was selected as the Shiphandler of the Year at the Surface Warfare Officers School in Newport, RI.
Tom and his wife Meredith currently live in central London. Together they enjoy running, sailing, cooking and traveling.
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