R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr.

Rufus Roosevelt Thomas Jr. (May 24, 1944 – May 17, 2013) was an American educator, author, speaker, and management consultant specializing in diversity management. For more than three decades, Thomas was a consultant to large corporations, professional firms, government agencies, nonprofits and academic institutions. He is the author of seven books on managing diversity. As the founder and first president of the American Institute for Managing Diversity Thomas was referred to as the "father of diversity" and recognized as a pioneer in the global diversity industry. He grew up in Chattanooga with his brother, Robert Potts Thomas, attending Chattanooga Public Schools and graduating from Howard High School in 1962.

Thomas went on to attend Morehouse College, where he pledged the Phi Beta Kappa fraternity and received his B.A. summa cum laude in Mathematics in 1966. His dissertation was titled "The Management of the Liberal Arts College: A Case Study".

Career

Harvard Business School Thomas began his career as an assistant professor at Harvard Business School, serving on the faculty until 1978.

Thomas was considered a pioneer in U.S. corporate diversity practices and an influential human resources consultant.

Personal life Thomas was married for forty-two years to Judge Ruby J. Thomas (née Jones), an Atlanta native who attended Wellesley College and Georgia State University School of Law. The couple had three children: Warren Shane Thomas, Jarred Thomas, and April Thomas. Thomas, Roosevelt R., Jr. (1991). Beyond Race and Gender: Unleashing the Power of Your Total Workforce, New York: AMACOM. Thomas, Roosevelt R., Jr. (1991). Total Quality of Managing Diversity. Executive Leadership Council. Thomas, Roosevelt R., Jr. (1992). Differences Do Make a Difference. American Institute for Managing Diversity, Inc. Thomas, Roosevelt R., Jr. (1996). Redefining Diversity, New York, NY: AMACOM, 1996. Thomas, Roosevelt R., Jr. and Marjorie I. Woodruff (1999). Building a House for Diversity: A Fable about a Giraffe and an Elephant offers New Strategies for Today’s Workforce. New York: AMACOM Books. Thomas, Roosevelt R., Jr. (1999). “Diversity Management: Some Measurement Criteria,” Employment Relations Today, Winter 1999, pp. 49–62. Thomas, Roosevelt R. Jr. (2002). The Giraffe and Elephant: A Diversity Fable. American Institute for Managing Diversity, Inc. AMACOM, a division of the American Management Association. Thomas, Roosevelt R. Jr. (2010). World Class Diversity Management: A Strategic Approach. SBN: 1605094501. ISBN 9781605094502.