Meet Our Board Members

Dr. Oliver M. Thomas, M.Div. serves as the Interim Director of External Affairs, in the Office of the Chancellor, at North Carolina A&T State University.  Oliver M. Thomas, a native of North Carolina, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, a Master of Divinity from Wake Forest University School of Divinity, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies with a concentration in Cultural Foundations from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  

From 2017 to 2019, he served as the Coordinator for Preparing Future Leaders for the graduate schools of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) and North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University (NCA&TSU). Preparing Future Leaders (PFL) is a professional development initiative for graduate students to develop essential skills for success in their fields and future careers. PFL offers two tracks for graduate students in all graduate programs: 1) Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) designed to prepare graduate students for faculty positions in academia, and 2) Preparing Future Professionals (PFP) aimed at readying future leaders in professional careers in the business, industry, governmental and non-profit sectors. As the coordinator, he collaborated with campus partners in various departments to develop a workshop series titled Nourishing Your Professional Development. 

In February 2020, he was a recipient of the “40 Under 40 Most Influential African Americans in the Piedmont” award by Black Business Inc. The honor is bestowed upon “outstanding leaders who help build their community, seek new challenges, and serve as a model for all to emulate.” Oliver was inducted into the prestigious Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers, Board of Sponsors and Collegium of Scholars at Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia, in 2014. The honor is bestowed on individuals, Christians and non-Christians, who give their lives in service to humanity. He was the 2010 recipient of The John Thomas and Dorothy Porter Award in Vocational Formation and Community Ministry, given by Wake Forest University School of Divinity in honor of John Thomas Porter and his wife. Reverend John T. Porter was one of the first African Americans elected to the Alabama legislature in the civil rights era.

As an appointed WDB Member, Dr. Thomas would serve as a public sector representative; representing Higher Education.