Bio for Tom Bellinger:
From 2006 to 2021 Tom was the full-time site meteorologist for the Department of Energy’s Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, TN - the nation's storehouse of highly enriched uranium. He oversaw a network of 4 meteorological towers, a Doppler SODAR, a lightning prediction system, and a center for dispersion modeling / consequence assessment. He also provided meteorological support for the Pantex plant in Amarillo, TX. Tom is phasing into retirement but is still at Y-12 mentoring his replacement.

Tom graduated from the University of Nebraska with a degree in Meteorology in 1983 and pursued graduate studies at Creighton University via Offutt Air Force base. After graduation, Tom got his start at the Nebraska Public Power District in Columbus, NE where he was responsible for meteorological systems at the Cooper Nuclear and Gerald Gentleman stations. In 1987, he moved to Toledo to become the site meteorologist at the Davis Besse Nuclear power station. From 1989 to 2006, he oversaw the acquisition and use of all meteorological data from the 7 Illinois nuclear power plants and a Doppler SODAR at the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety now IEMA.

Tom has been actively involved in the Nuclear Utility Meteorological data Users Group for the past 30+ years where he have given numerous presentations. He is a past member, writer, and Co-Chair of the American Nuclear Society working group that developed and revised ANSI/ANS-3.11 "Determining Meteorological Information at Nuclear Facilities". He was also involved in writing four other ANS Standards that involve using meteorological data for modeling purposes.

Tom received his Certified Consulting Meteorologist designation from the American Meteorological Society in 2005 and served on the Board of Certified Consulting Meteorologists from 2018 – 2022 and was the Chair in 2022.

Outside of work, he occasionally provides meteorological consulting services to support legal and insurance issues. He can often be seen in the Knoxville area picking the banjo at local jams or wearing his stripes on the football fields as a high school football official.