Tomblin was the Senior Vice President for Industry and Defense Programs at WSU and the Executive Director of NIAR at WSU, where he oversaw 18 laboratories in 4 locations encompassing 1 million square feet, 650 employees and a yearly budget of nearly $95 million. He served as administrator of the Composite Materials Handbook 17 working group and co-chair of the CMH-17 data review working group. He has authored extensive reports in the AGATE program as well as FAA technical reports, which have resulted in FAA policy governing the use of composites within the aerospace industry. In 2003, Tomblin provided testimony before the U.S. Senate Department of Commerce Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on the future of the aerospace industry and how effective government collaboration could contribute to the future of the U.S. aerospace industry.