Erin L. Thomas, PhD

Erin Thomas is Diversity Manager for Grant Thornton LLP, responsible for diversity and inclusion strategy, programming and evaluation in all 60 US offices.

Prior to this role, she served as Argonne National Laboratory’s first Gender Diversity Specialist. During her tenure, Argonne’s diversity and inclusion initiative was recognized by the Society of Women Engineers and Diversity/Careers Magazine and Dr. Thomas was honored with the Association for Women in Science Chicago chapter’s Motivator Award for her diversity advocacy. Before her time at Argonne, Dr. Thomas consulted for Catalyst, Inc., a leading non-profit organization dedicated to advancing women at work.

Dr. Thomas’ research informs her practitioner role, as its overarching objective is to ensure that neither White men nor minority women are disenfranchised by D&I programs. Her newest National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored project examines psychological and institutional predictors of minorities’ retention within computing fields. Her research has received recognition and funding from numerous organizations like NSF, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the American Psychological Association, and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.

She received her PhD and MS in Social Psychology and BAs in Psychology and International Studies, all from Yale University.

For more, keep up with Erin on Twitter as @ErinLThomasPhD.

Presentations

Leadership By Design 2017: Prototypes, Process & Play

The Inclusive Leaders’ Playbook: Everyday Actions to Leverage Diversity & Engage Teams

This interactive practicum will equip leaders with accessible strategies and tangible tools for performing inclusion. We will apply diversity research to establish best practices for structuring communications, meetings and daily behaviors that optimize diverse perspectives and fully engage all team members. Participants will depart empowered and prepared to positively impact their workplace climates.