Tom Carney started Carney Consulting, LLC in 2004 after taking early retirement from the Iowa Department of Public Health, where he held several positions, including that of division director. Before that, he worked as a reporter/editor at The Des Moines Register for 22 years and for three years at two weekly newspapers. Previously, he was a Catholic priest, working in parishes in Kansas City, Mo. and Bolivia, South America.
Carney, who has master's degrees in Religion and Mass Communication/Journalism, has 25 years' experience as newspaper publisher, editor and reporter, university journalism instructor and state-government division director for communications, planning and personnel.
He has provided numerous courses to government, hospital, emergency management and organization employees and others on use of the media and has written speeches for a governor, lieutenant governor and department directors.
Carney has lived and traveled extensively in Latin America and speaks and writes in Spanish. He studied Spanish in an intensive five-month, six-hour-a-day course at the Instituto de Idiomas in Cochabamba, Bolivia, while living with a Bolivian family. And he has spoken mainly Spanish at home with his Colombian wife, Amparo, for over 30 years. His seminar, Customer Spanish, is designed specifically for English speakers who find themselves unable to understand basic Spanish pronunciation and vocabulary. The course, adaptable to each client's needs, is perfect for clients who have even occasional contact with Spanish-speaking clients.