Board Vice-Chair
An advisor and mentor to many, Dr. Thomas dedicates his expertise to various initiatives, serving as trustee for Philadelphia FIGHT, The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Youth Basketball, and a mayoral appointee to Philadelphia’s oversight board for the Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity.
A 2020 fellow of Aspen Institute’s and Stanford University’s College Excellence Program, he has received numerous honors, including YouthBuild’s Legacy Award, BMe’s Community Vanguard Award, INSIGHT into Diversity Magazine’s Giving Back Leadership Award, Philadelphia College Prep Roundtable’s Service Award, the School District of Philadelphia’s Exceptional Service Citation, Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity’s Citation for Distinguished Service, and Change Our Future Foundation’s 2023 Game Changer Award in Education.
Committed to equity with excellence for all, Dr. Thomas has designed and implemented large scale initiatives which positively impact the lives and wellbeing of countless individuals, communities, and organizations. His service as a senior executive leader in Philadelphia’s higher education and K-12 sectors where he is actively involved in community education and engagement, K-12 partnerships, student engagement, service-learning, educational innovation, and regional strategic initiatives is particularly noteworthy as evidenced through the successes of Parkway Center City Middle College, the Octavius Catto Scholarship, the Institute for Community Engagement & Civic Leadership, the City College for Municipal Employment, and Spring Garden Records – the official recording label of Philadelphia’s community college.
Dr. Thomas is the founder and principal of IHI Consultants, offering organizational development, strategic planning, leadership coaching, life mapping and other services for organizations and their leaders. A member of the 248th graduating class of Philadelphia’s Central High School, Dr. Thomas holds a Bachelor of Science in secondary education, a Bachelor of Science in theology, and a Master of Science in counseling psychology from Cairn University, a Master of Education in adult and organizational development from Temple University, and a Doctor of Education in organizational leadership and innovation from Wilmington University. He also holds a Commission Qualification Letter of Superintendent Eligibility issued by the PA Department of Education.