Abby Thomas has joined the Linfield community as the interim director of diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Her first day was Aug. 20. In this role, Thomas will work with student leaders to coordinate inclusion clubs on campus. She will collaborate with students, faculty, staff and community members to organize multicultural events and programming. Thomas intends to facilitate learning opportunities and mentor programs to continue education on topics surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion.
Thomas joins Linfield after working in Florida for the last four years, most recently as a mathematics teacher for SLAM! Boca Raton. She also served as an academic interventionist for City Year, a national service AmeriCorps program, where she taught in an ESOL classroom.
“For me, Linfield was a place of incredible growth and learning both inside and outside of the classroom,” Thomas said. “I met the best friends, faculty and staff members who shared my passion for education and social justice. I am thrilled to be back and working to support students in the same way from this new role. I hope to help students of all identities and backgrounds to feel safe and empowered to evoke change in our communities.”
Thomas earned her master’s degree in education and social change from the University of Miami in 2020 and her bachelor’s degree in English literature and political science from Linfield University in 2017.
“I am excited to have Abby back at Linfield,” Dean of Students Jeff Mackay said. “She was an outstanding student leader and will be a terrific advocate for Linfield’s current students.”
More information about Linfield’s Office of Inclusion, Access and Diversity is available at https://www.linfield.edu/life-at-linfield/inclusion/index.html.
