Thomas worked as an attorney for the
Federal Housing and Home Finance Agency (now HUD) in 1963. Thomas was named
Assistant U.S. Attorney for the
Southern District of New York in 1964. he was the first African-American to hold the position. As president and CEO, Thomas led the organization renovating the exteriors of 3,682 buildings and 123 established businesses, and helped create 3,300 new jobs in the 96-block area. After leaving the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, Thomas headed a study of US policy toward South Africa for the
Rockefeller Foundation recommending peaceful change. Alan J. Pifer, president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, considered Thomas's direction of the study "brilliant." He was chosen out of 300 candidates; he had been a member of the Ford Foundation's board of trustees since 1977. His role came at a time where the foundations assets and resources were limited due to the stock market downturn in the 1970s and a large, cumbersome administration. He also worked to improve the lives of women through the production of nonsexist textbooks, forming farm organizations in rural areas, increasing the number of female professionals at the Ford Foundation, and instituted paid paternal leave. In October 2001, Thomas was appointed the Chairman of the September 11 Fund, which was formed to support the victims, families, and communities affected by the
September 11 attacks. He held the position until 2004, overseeing the collection of $534 million and awarding 559 grants totaling $528 million.
Board of directors Thomas was one of eight
Citigroup Inc. Thomas served on the board of directors of
Cummins, Inc.,
Lucent Technologies, Inc.,
Alcoa He was also the second African American to be elected to the Board of Trustees of
Columbia University, after fellow
Columbia College alumnus
M. Moran Weston. == Legacy and awards ==