Charles Thomas Jr.

Charles Thomas Jr.
Born Flint, Michigan
Occupation Author, radio host, professor, Organizational Dynamics practitioner
Nationality American
Alma mater University of Notre Dame
University of Texas at San Antonio
Creighton University
Genre Non-fiction

Charles Thomas Jr. is a best-selling author, on-air personality, public speaker, community volunteer, and philanthropist. He has written three creative nonfiction books, Scars, Exile, & Vindication (2012), Breakthrough: Stories of Resilience, Tragedy, and Triumph (2017), and Leading Through Difficulty: The Darker Side of Workplace Behavior (2017). He is a co-host of the Divergent Thought podcast.

Early life

Thomas was born in Flint, Michigan and attended Powers Catholic High School, graduating in 1998.[1] Thomas played varsity basketball and served as co-captain of the team in high school. He helped his team make state semifinals in 1997 and regional finals in 1998.[1] Thomas has said that growing up in Flint was a brilliant upbringing.[2]

Education and Career

Thomas attended the University of Notre Dame, on academic and athletic scholarships, where he played as point guard and shooting guard on the varsity basketball team.[1] He was a two-time Big East Academic All-Star team member.[3] About wanting to play basketball for Notre Dame, Thomas stated, "I practiced every single day … 1,000 shots a day. I wasn’t going to give up on my dream.”[4]

He was chosen as the recipient of the Notre Dame Club of St. Joseph Valley Rockne Student Athlete Award and the NAACP Senior of the Year in 2002.[5]

Thomas earned his Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2007, a master's degree in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution from Creighton University in 2009; and a Doctorate of Education in Leadership Studies from Creighton University in 2014.[6] While pursuing his doctoral degree, Thomas was inducted into the Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Honor Society in February 2013.[7] Thomas worked as a full-time project leader at a government consulting firm in Tysons, VA.[6] He currently works as Vice President of organizational effectiveness and people operations for Data Intelligence Inc.[8] He serves as Chairman of the Board for Opportunities, Alternatives and Resources (OAR) of Fairfax County, Inc, and teaches life-skills classes to incarcerated men who are preparing for re-entry into society.[9]

He also works as an Adjunct Assistant Professor [10] of Organizational Behavior at University of Maryland University College.[11] He speaks to audiences on a variety of topics across the country. In February 2017, he presented on a panel about community involvement and philanthropy as part of the Future Fund at The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia's Giving Back Seminars.[12] Thomas delivered the Reverend William F. Kelley, SJ, ΑΣΝ Endowed Lecture: "Prose and Poetry: The War Within" at Creighton University on March 14, 2018.[13]

Thomas published his first work of creative nonfiction, Scars, Exile & Vindication: My Life as an Experiment in 2012.[14] His second work, Breakthrough: Stories of Resilience, Tragedy, and Triumph, was published in May 2017. [15] His third nonfiction book Leading Through Difficulty: The Darker Side of Workplace Behavior was released in December 2017.[16]

Philanthropic Engagement

Thomas is the former Treasurer of the Board of Directors for Leadership Fairfax, a nonprofit professional leadership development organization.[17] He currently serves as the Chairman of the Board for OAR of Fairfax County, and is a Board Member for Shelter House, an organization serving the homeless population in Fairfax County, Virginia.[18] He also volunteers as a Wish Granter for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.[19]

In 2015 and 2016, he served as a member of the Future Fund’s leadership committee,[20] a giving circle of young professionals at the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia.[21]

In 2018, Thomas accepted the Sojourner Truth Award, along with OAR Executive Director Derwin Overton, on behalf of OAR of Fairfax County. [22]

Works

Books

  • Scars, Exile, & Vindication: My Life as an Experiment. 2012 ISBN 978-1618623669
  • Breakthrough: Stories of Resilience, Tragedy, and Triumph. 2017 ISBN 978-1512783520
  • Leading Through Difficulty: The Darker Side of Workplace Behavior. 2017 ISBN 978-0-692-04776-7

Articles

Magazine Features

Podcasts

  • Divergent Thought on BLIS.FM

Awards and Honors

  • 2015 Emerging Influential Leader of the Year Award from Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce [23]
  • 2015 National 40 Under 40 Honoree from The Network Journal [17]
  • 2015 Alpha Sigma Nu Magis Medal Winner [6]
  • 2015 Northern Virginia Trustee Leadership Award from Leadership Fairfax [24]
  • 2016 Outstanding Service to the Community Award from Creighton University [25]
  • 2017 40 Under 40 Honoree from the Leadership Center for Excellence [26]

Personal life

Thomas lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and two children.[27]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "For Dr. Charles Thomas Jr., there is no Plan B" (PDF). Powers Pride: 3. Summer 2016.
  2. ↑ "Guest view of Charles Thomas Jr.: America's most 'apocalyptic' city? We know better". MLive.com. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  3. ↑ "Charles Thomas Bio :: Notre Dame Men's Basketball :: UND.COM :: The Official Site of Notre Dame Athletics". Retrieved 2017-07-12.
  4. ↑ Kelly, Lisa (May 1, 2018). "Echoes From Notre Dame: The Men (Or Women) We Became?". www.onefootdown.com. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  5. ↑ "'02 Grad, Former ND Walk-on Pens New Memoir". Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  6. 1 2 3 Davis, Rick (October 23, 2015). "Magis Medal Honoree Inspired to Give Back". AJCU. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Alpha Sigma Nu New Member Induction" (PDF). www.creighton.edu. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  8. ↑ "www.bizjournals.com/washington/potmsearch/detail/submission/6432772/Charles_Thomas_Jr?l=&time=7d&ind=&type=&ro=43". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2017-07-12.
  9. ↑ "Magis Medal Honoree Inspired to Give Back | Creighton Magazine | Creighton University". www.creighton.edu. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  10. ↑ "Faculty List". UMUC. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Twp. Board approves long-term charity gaming license for nonprofit | November 3, 2016 | flinttownshipview.mihomepaper.com | The Flint Township View". Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  12. ↑ "Carry Your Passion Into Your Career - Giving Back Seminar Presented by The Future Fund". Fairfax City, VA Patch. 2017-01-11. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  13. ↑ "NCR Newsletter Spring 2018". Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Scars, Exile & Vindication: My Life as an Experiment". Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  15. ↑ pat.wilson. ""Breakthrough" By Charles Thomas Jr. | The Katy News". Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  16. ↑ "Charles Thomas Jr. Author".
  17. 1 2 "40 Under Forty Class of 2015". The Network Journal. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Shelter House Board of Directors".
  19. ↑ "OAR Board of Directors". OAR. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  20. ↑ McClain, Buzz (April 14, 2016). "Meet the Young Philanthropists". Northern Virginia Magazine: 1.
  21. ↑ Feldman, Ross. "Future Fund". www.cfnova.org. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  22. ↑ "OAR is honored to receive the 2018 Sojourner Truth Award". OAR Nova. July 23, 2018.
  23. ↑ "2015 OCCA Winners". Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce | Tysons, VA. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  24. ↑ "Congressional Record". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  25. ↑ "Creighton University's Werner Institute Celebrates 10 Years". Strictly Business | Omaha. 2017-01-01. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  26. ↑ "Leadership Center details annual 40 Under 40 awardees". insidenova.com.
  27. ↑ "About the Author | Breakthrough". www.breakthroughstories.net. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
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