Academics
Tom was an honors student and elite track athlete throughout his elementary and high school years. He studied mathematics and computer science at UCLA with a broader interest in history, architecture, and philosophy, graduating in 1986. A decade later, he returned to get his Master's degree in 1997 in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis on Depth Tradition from Pacifica Graduate Institute with summer studies overseas in Greece and Hawaii. Additionally, he has post-graduate certification in Drama Therapy from Drama Therapy Institute of Los Angeles and certification in Experiential Psychologies from Trees of Life Institute of Santa Barbara.
Research
Tom's graduate thesis and continuing research focuses on challenging the linear egocentric models of the psyche underlying modern psychologies; working towards a non-linear polymorphic model that supports the fundamental dynamics observed in the experiential and non-rational therapies. His work in information theory and modeling of complex systems has influenced his work to deconstruct the primitive aspects of human experience and relationship as axial building blocks to personality, culture, and spiritual philosophy as well as the basis for defining a more robust view of psychological well-being and disease.
Curiosity
Tom's interest in human nature and psychology began at an early age growing up in a religious household. Rather than developing a traditional moralist view of the sacred text, he began to study it as treatise on human nature and spiritual development; while still in elementary school he began to sketch out paper models drawn out from patterns and themes within the text. An opportunity to study New Testament History while at UCLA provided a foundation to examine the development and essence of the text within its original historical context, separate and in comparision to the moralized extrapolations that formulate the religions it has spawned. His graduate studies in depth psychology and mythology grounded much of what he had already been studying and broadened its import and application.
Values
An early interest in Greek philosophy arose from Tom's curiosity about the ideals of the Ancient Olympics of moderation of character and appetites and excellence of body, mind, and soul. This laid the foundation for his academic and athletic pursuits and his artistic and spiritual explorations.
In deconstructing the Gospel mythology, he developed a guiding spiritual philosophy he describes as essential relationalism, the fundamental response to the intrinsic value of each human relationship invoking a responsibility to care and protect. Relationalism is in direct conflict with the moralized extrapolation of the religious narrative which focuses on human behavior rather than human relationships, and transforms the love of the spritual parent into a macabre authoritarian daemon of the obsessive compulsive/ borderline personality of the Religious God. The moralism of the religious pursuit is thus the enemy of healthy relationships and the maturation of the human psyche which is at the heart of the Gospel narrative sans Christian theology.
The third pillar of Tom's value system is derived from bohemian counter culture and punk philosophy and idealism. The second wave of social idealism in popular culture that grew out of the late seventies and early eigthies fostered a renewed sense of anti-materialism, anti-authoritarianism, creative license, self-determination, personal empowerment, and fierce protection of the marginalized, the underpriveleged and the outcasts in society standing up against the excesses and exploitation of the Reagan era.
Advocacy
Tom has been active throughout his life in community groups and services advocating for healthy spiritual and personal development and protection of the underpriveleged and abused. He has worked as a Group Coordinator for Amnesty International advocating for human rights and the protection of political prisoners world-wide. He co-founded and has facilitated PAX Personal Art Exchange for the past three decades which creates a supportive space for spiritual and artistic exploration through the arts. He has facilitated the Xrysalis Commuity Gathering for over two decades which provides an opportunity for open dialogue on spiritual development. His current social experiment is the Dead Kat Society trying to create a broader access to values exploration.
Thomas Edward Strelow is an American consultant, technologist, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, CEO, and Principle Consultant at Ultrablue; co-founder of PAX Personal Art Exchange; and co-facilitator of Xrysalis Community Gathering. He was born May 7, 1963 in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in the suburban enclave of Fountain Valley.
After five years Tom moved on to develop healthcare business systems for Homedco and Apria Healthcare specializing in electronic data interchange of insurance claims and clinical data; becoming an expert in Mercator development tools (now IBM Transformation Extender).
After 10 years in Healthcare, in 2000 Tom leveraged his expertise in Mercator and his skills as a custom developer, project manager, and database architect to become a contractor at the height of the dotcom bubble working with a small team at ecommerce heavyweight Buy.com to develop their supply chain order intake and vendor fulfillment system with Mercator technology. He then founded Ultrablue in 2002. He has continued to work with clients in the healthcare and supply chain industries helping to architect and develop their EDI management infrastructure--clients have included Amerisource Bergen, Buy Systems, Pacificare Health Systems, Trojan Professional Services, Keane Consulting, Integrated Commercialization Solutions, United Healthcare, and IBM.
Tom began his technical career while in school working as a contractor building industrial automation systems for Hughes Aircraft. By his third year at UCLA he began working for Douglas Aircraft Company developing business systems eventually specializing in information architecture and data administration.
