Retired business leader and U.S. Air Force veteran Tom Arata will address UCCS graduates and their families at the fall 2025 Commencement ceremony, to be held Friday Dec. 19.
Tom graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1980. He received his Master of Business Administration from UCCS in 1987.
Early in his career, Tom was an instructor pilot in the U.S. Air Force. His professional life included roles at BOC Gases where he led the global helium business. Prior to his retirement in 2021, Tom served as Senior Vice President, Global Technology Platforms for Ecolab, a global leader in water, sustainability, food safety and public health. His 25 years at the company included a variety of assignments, most recently leading enterprise teams driving Ecolab’s food safety and public health leadership, venture capital investments and technology-driven partnerships.
Additionally, Tom is a past board chair of Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, one of Minnesota’s largest providers of comprehensive social services to individuals and at-risk families. He currently serves as co-chair of the Midwest Carbon Leadership Project at the University of Minnesota, an effort to identify and tackle knowledge gaps needed to achieve carbon neutrality.
Tom also spends time mentoring business leaders, assisting in their professional development.
At UCCS, and within the greater CU system, Tom serves on the board of the CU Foundation, and in advisory roles for the College of Business and C3 Innovation. Tom and his wife Nancy are both first-generation college graduates and support UCCS undergraduate students through a scholarship named after their family.
The fall 2025 Commencement exercises will begin at 2 p.m. on Dec. 19 at the Broadmoor World Arena. Ceremony information is available online.