About

I was the kind of kid that would stay up all night working on my homework when I didn’t understand it. I was ‘slow to warm’ with new experiences but once I put my toe in the water, I was all in. I was always watching my experiences, noticing the energies of other people, wondering what else I can learn.

I am a doer. I identify a need and find ways to fill that gap. Central to my work and life has been a deep commitment to justice. This stems from my early experiences as an A Better Chance Scholar in high school when I learned first-hand about racial and economic injustice and disparities. I’ve been committed to social change since and have been honored to work in child and family policy most of my career.

Education

2027 | Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certificate Program
2019 | Ph.D., Child Development. Erikson Institute/Loyola University Chicago.
2004 | M.P.P., Harris School of Public Policy, The University of Chicago.
1999 | B.A., Sociology, African American Studies, Wesleyan University.
1998 | City University for Social Policy.

DISSERTATION TITLE: Prevalence and Potential Buffers of Intergenerational Trauma in African American and Latinx Parent-Child Dyads; Committee: Amanda J. Moreno (chair), Jon Korfmacher, Marva L. Lewis and Noni K. Gaylord-Harden

Practice, Policy and Research Interests

Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
Human Development in Diverse Social and Cultural Contexts
Mindfulness and Contemplative Practices
Intergenerational Trauma
Trauma-informed Services and Systems
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Current Professional Experience

April 2020-Present
Executive Director, First 8 Memphis, Memphis Tennessee.

Lead First 8 Memphis’ vision to implement Memphis’ and Shelby County, Tennessee’s high-quality, equitable early care and education system for children prenatal-age eight and their families. Build start-up $17 million early childhood organization; lead organization’s first strategic plan rooted in developmental science best practice and build staff and organizational capacity. Collaborate with broad coalitions, including First 8 Memphis Board of Directors, government partners, nonprofit organizations, funders, program partners and others to support young children’s development. Serve as thought leader and spokesperson on behalf of First 8 Memphis.

Most Recent Speaking Engagements

Thomas, K. (2024, June). Systems Change and Hope, Frustration and Aspiration. ECACE. University of Illinois, virtual.
Thomas, K. (2022, June.) “Always take me a moment”: Reflective practice begins with me. Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health, Reflective Supervision Symposium. Memphis, Tennessee.
Thomas, K. (2022, February). Conscious buffering of intergenerational trauma. Northwest Children’s Foundation. Virtual.
Thomas, K. (2022, January). It starts with us: Systems change & infant mental health. Barnard Center Advanced Clinical Training Program. Virtual.
Thomas, K. (2021, March). Partnering with parents to buffer intergenerational trauma. Southwest Human Development. Virtual.

Most Recent Papers

First 8 Memphis & Start Early. (2024). Lovin’ on Our Babies: An Assessment of the Social Emotional Landscape of Memphis and Shelby County.
Charlot-Swilley, D., Thomas, K., Mondi, C.F., Willis, D.W.& Condon, M.-C. (2024). A Holistic Approach to Early Relational Health: Cultivating Culture, Diversity, and Equity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21, 563. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21050563.
Thomas, K. (2022). Early relational health - A promising approach for equitable systems change in pediatrics: A commentary. Infant Mental Health Journal, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.21984
Clark, R., Gehl, M., Heffron, M. C., Kerr, M., Soliman, S., Shahmoon-Shanok, R., & Thomas, K. (2019). Mindfulness practices to enhance diversity-informed reflective supervision and leadership. Zero to Three Journal, November 2019. *authors listed alphabetically
Thomas, K., Noroña, C. R., & St. John, M. S. (2019). Cross-Sector allies together in the struggle for social justice: Diversity-Informed tenets for work with infants, children, and families. Zero to Three Journal, 39(3), 44–54.
Lewis, M. L., Noroña, C. R., McConnico, N., & Thomas, K. (2013). Colorism, a legacy of historical trauma in parent-child relationships: Clinical, research and personal perspectives. Zero to Three Journal, 34(2), 11–23.

Service and Memberships

Board Member, ZERO TO THREE Board of Directors
Advisory Council - Diversity-Informed Tenets for Work with Infants, Children and Families
Member, Early Success Coalition Core Leadership
Member, Society for Research in Child Development
Member, World Association for Infant Mental Health