For over 20 years and counting, Ms. Thomas has been an educational leader. She began her educational career in Compton Unified, in 2000. First, as an English teacher at Centennial High and Willowbrook Middle and in later years as the Instructional Support Administrator-Secondary Schools for 3 years. Throughout her career, she has served the needs of elementary and secondary students by focusing on providing a safe and supportive school experience and fostering future educational opportunities.
In 2015, Ms. Thomas continued her educational leadership in ABC Unified as Dean of Students at Gahr High School before moving to the Brea Olinda Unified School District as Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction at Brea Olinda High School. In 2021, she returned to ABC Unified to become the Equity Officer, who oversees the development, implementation, and evaluation of the Equity and Diversity Plan for the District to address the Equity Board Policy and other areas of the District’s Strategic Plan. In this role, she works directly with the Diversity, Unity, and Equity Board Advisory Committee. She will also serve as the District’s Title IX and Title VI Compliance Officer.
Ms. Thomas holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Communications from the University of Missouri, St. Louis, and two Masters of Arts Degrees – one in Child & Adolescent Literacy from Loyola-Marymount University and one in Education from UCLA. She has earned teaching and administration credentials, from UCLA. She is currently pursuing her Doctorate in K-12 Education Leadership at the University of Southern California. Ms. Thomas, a former journalist, believes in the power of the pen and utilizing it for social justice advocacy. In 2003, after being laid off by Compton USD, she wrote a letter about the pros and cons of the forthcoming 2006 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) statute to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In response to her impassioned letter, the foundation awarded her a full scholarship to LMU with the caveat that she would return to Compton USD and in 2007 she proudly did so.
