Isaiah Thomas is a coach, educator and mentor from Philadelphia, PA. He is the newly appointed Director of Community Affairs for the City Controller’s Office and the Co-Founder of the Thomas & Woods Foundation. In addition, Thomas is the Athletic Director, Head Boys Basketball coach and Softball coach at Sankofa Freedom Academy, a Bme Community Leader and an Urban Philadelphia Professional Network (UPPN) Connector.  

 

Thomas previously served as Associate Dean of Students at Sankofa Freedom Academy and an adjunct Professor in the Human Studies Department at Lincoln University. Prior to that Thomas volunteered as the Executive Director for Mature Cradle Inc., a non-profit organization that provided athletic and performing arts programs for children and families across the city. He was also the Board Chair of Rising Sons, Inc., an organization that seeks to empower inner-city youth by providing resources and positive role-models, a Philly Roots Fellow, and a New Leaders Council of Philadelphia Fellow and Board member.

For fourteen consecutive summers, Thomas was involved with Freedom School programs in various capacities. Through this experience, he has sought to instill the meaning and value of servant leadership to children throughout country. His roles have included Project Director and Ella Baker Consultant/Trainer for the Children's Defense Fund and Communities in Schools. He is also a former Consultant/Trainer for the United Way and has been employed by various other charitable organizations.  

 

From 2009-2010, Thomas was a Legislative Assistant to former State Representative Tony Payton Jr., where he provided constituent service to the families and youth of the Frankford community. Through this position, he learned the difference he could make as an elected official with a servant-leader mindset. At age 26, he decided to run for City Council At-Large and as the youngest candidate running, gained more than 31,000 votes in the May, 2011 Municipal Primary. He ran again at the age of 30 and gained more than 47,000 votes in the May, 2015 Municipal Primary.

Thomas is alum of Penn State University, where he received his Bachelor's of Science in Psychological and Social Behavior with a minor in English. He also holds a Master's degree in Education from Lincoln University.