Tom Malinowski was born in Communist Poland at the height of the Cold War, where he lived with his mother until he was 6 years old. Malinowski grew up in Central Jersey, going to public schools.

Tom Malinowski had the chance to serve President Clinton on his National Security Council working to end some of the 20th Century's bloodiest humanitarian crises. As the chief advocate for Human Rights Watch, he led a bipartisan effort to end the Bush Administration's use of torture.