Mr. Thomas is the Director of Entrepreneurial Initiatives and Inclusive Economic Opportunity for The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. This role provides a platform for advancing cross-sector leadership collaboratives that create strategies for increasing equity and empowerment. Mr. Thomas recently graduated from a master’s program at Yale Divinity School to enhance his ability to evaluate the ethical outcomes of community empowerment programs, and build strategic partnerships to reduce socio-economic inequities in underserved populations. Prior to that, Mr. Thomas had a career in finance and residential real estate development. He also serves on the board of directors for Community Health Network, an organization that uses “Emotional Emancipation Circles” as a tool to address systemic and actual trauma in minority communities. Mr. Thomas is vocal about faith’s contribution to justice work. He is currently the co-chair of the Faith in Action outreach ministries at Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church, and is in the ordination process with the American Baptist Convention. Overall, Mr. Thomas is a healer at heart, and passionate about using innovation, real estate, and entrepreneurship as a treatment for disrupting the reproduction of poverty outcomes in under-resourced neighborhoods.