Jennifer Thomas

Jennifer Thomas has over twenty years of management experience in the field of community and economic development. Currently, she the Assistant Director for HACLA and oversees its Strategic Initiatives Unit which includes management of strategic partnerships & contracts, workforce development, digital equity initiatives and other resident relations programs. She was previously the Development and External Affairs Officer at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), where she raised capital for the Los Angeles office and established new business development opportunities in South Los Angeles and East Los Angeles. She also led the launch of the Building Sustainable Communities Initiative for the LA Office and often represented the company at various ground breakings, conferences, policy forums and an array of speaking engagements. Prior to that, she was the Program Director for the Ross Minority Program in Real Estate at the University of Southern California’s (USC) Lusk Center for Real Estate where she oversaw program operations, fundraising, student recruitment, board stewardship and donor development. She was responsible for the strategic expansion of the program in San Francisco via a partnership with the Bay Area Council which expanded the USC brand and visibility across the State of CA. In this role, she managed the endowment established to expand program operations. Thomas has also worked in other cities on HOPE VI public housing redevelopments and has done consulting work with non-profit organizations. She has been on the Adjunct faculty staff for Southern New Hampshire University’s graduate school of Business where she taught the Masters Thesis series in Community and Economic Development. She is currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California where she teaches Housing and Community Development in the School of Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis and has done so for over a decade. Thomas has an extensive background in community and economic development ranging from affordable housing development, commercial corridor development, community and regional planning, coalition building, non-profit management and social services program design, policy and evaluation. Throughout her professional career, she has been committed to low-income communities-its transformation, its assets and its potential to be viable places for people to live, be educated and to thrive. She has a personal passion for community development and is involved in civic engagement activities in her community. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Southern University and A & M College and received her Masters Degree from the University of Pittsburgh where she was a HUD Cuomo Fellow.