about Dr. Thomas

A public servant at heart, Dr. Claudia Thomas led an extraordinary life, marked by a number of achievements and a calling to better her community.  Claudia was an educator, activist and civic leader.  She enrolled at Bennett College at the age of 15 to earn a teaching degree and later married Harry A. Thomas, a military officer, which gave her the opportunity to travel and teach in the U.S. and overseas.  Claudia and her husband settled in Lakewood in 1963 when he retired from the military.  With a Master of Science degree in Educational Administration from Seattle University and a Doctorate in Organizational Development and Management from Union University,

Claudia served 42 years in public education and retired as the Assistant Superintendent of Public Instruction for the Bremerton School District.  She then worked to incorporate Lakewood as a Washington city. From those efforts, she was elected as one of the original members of the Lakewood City Council. She was then elected by the Council as Deputy Mayor.  In 2006, Dr. Thomas was elected Mayor of Lakewood by the seven-member city council, becoming the first African American woman mayor in Washington State. She continued serving on the Lakewood City Council until 2011.  Throughout her life, Claudia continued to serve the Lakewood community by leading and participating in many local organizations, including the Lakewood Human Services Collaboration, the Tacoma Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce and the Tacoma Urban League.  She was also responsible for initiating the City of Lakewood’s practice of dedicating 1 percent of its general fund to human service organizations.  In addition, Claudia’s insistence on engaging and empowering Lakewood’s youth led directly to establishment of the Lakewood Youth Council and Lakewood’s becoming a model community for America’s Promise, the National Youth Movement initiated by General Colin Powell.