Thomas Lester Eckman was born in Galesburg, Illinois, in 1949. He earned a bachelor’s degree in forestry and a master’s degree in environmental science from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. In 1972, he relocated to the Pacific Northwest and worked in environmental education at Central Washington University and for Education Research Systems. In 1977, he became the chair of the Washington Environmental Council. He served as manager of conservation resources for the Northwest Power Planning Council, now known as the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, from 1982 to 2014. He was then director of the power division for the NWPPC until his retirement in 2016.

The Northwest Power Planning Council is a four-state regional planning body formed by Congress through the Northwest Power Act of 1980 to develop and maintain regional conservation and electric power plans and a fish and wildlife program. The council is composed of two representatives from each member state: Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. The mission of the council is "to preserve the benefits of the Columbia River for future generations." The body was originally known as the Pacific Northwest Electric Power and Conservation Planning Council; the name was shortened to Northwest Power Planning Council in October 1981, and in 2003, the name was changed to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.