Executive Managing Director
Jeffrey Thomas is the Executive Director of the Strategic Action Council and the Managing Director of the Minority Supplier Institute. Thomas’s professional experiences cover supply chain, business development, economic development and commercialization. Thomas has managed over $1B in materials/services spend and has been instrumental in placing over $50M in start-up companies. Thomas has led teams of professionals in the sourcing, contracting, and commercialization of goods and services for Fortune 500, mid-size, and start-up companies. In his expat role in Copenhagen, Denmark, Thomas directed the global sourcing activities for production locations in Europe, South America, North America, and Asia. He has held global leadership positions at Dell, Edwards Lifesciences, and Novozymes. Thomas’s most recent assignment was Vice President of Business Development with the New Orleans Business Alliance where he recruited firms to the city, championed real estate developments, and assisted with the funding of start-ups. Thomas participates on the advisor group to ICANN for Customer Trust/Choice and served as a Subject Matter Expert for the Institute of Supply Chain Management. Thomas received his bachelor’s degree in Finance from Louisiana Tech University, and received his master’s degrees from Grambling State University and the University of Rochester.