Dr. Charles Thomas Jr. is the son of Mrs. Doris and Mr. Charles Thomas Sr. He is a multi-award winning social entrepreneur, educator, best-selling author, on-air personality, and Concerned Citizen™. He has committed himself to service and philanthropic efforts and has varied experiences in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Charles strives to live according to the Renaissance ideal of broad learning and full engagement in life as a demonstration of human potential.
Charles is the Co-Founder and CEO of Clear Cloud, a cloud engineering organization focused on development, DevOps, data science/analytics, and technology delivery management. He is also the Founder of Concerned Citizen™ Media, which was the home of Divergent Thought™ and Everyday Conversations™ (forthcoming) radio shows where he serves as a co-host.
Within the non-profit sector, Charles serves as Secretary of the Board for Shelter House, teaches Life Skills classes to men who are incarcerated and preparing for societal re-entry, volunteers as a Wish Granter for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and recently (July 2019) ended his four-year tenure as Chairman of the Board for OAR Nova. Charles also serves as an Adjunct Professor at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels.
Charles is a former Division 1 Student-Athlete, Sankofa Scholar, NAACP Senior of the Year, Rockne Student-Athlete of the Year, Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar award winner, two-time Notre Dame Monogram winner, and two-time Big East Academic All-Star Team member.
Charles’ engagement as a civic minded professional has also yielded positive outcomes. Some of his more recent recognition is as follows:
• 2020 Graduate School Alumni of the Year – Creighton University
• #1 Amazon New Release & #1 Amazon Best Seller – Best Kept Secrets
• Rising Star Award – Washington Business Journal
• Emerging Influential Leader of the Year – Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce
• Three-time 40 Under 40 Honoree – The Network Journal, Leadership Center for Excellence, AFCEA International
• Alpha Sigma Nu Magis Medal Winner
• Northern Virginia Trustee Leadership Award – Leadership Fairfax
• Two-time National Intelligence Professional Award – Director of National Intelligence
• Outstanding Service to the Community Award – Creighton University
• Sojourner Truth Award with OAR NOVA
• Two-time Meritorious Citation – Intelligence Community
Dr. Thomas earned Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Master of Business Administration, and Doctoral degrees with distinction. He is from Flint, MI and lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and children.
Charles was a co-host of the hit radio show and podcast, Divergent Thought™ from August 2016 to September 2019.
The show focused on issues
that impact the core of human engagement – social, educational, political, and health issues.
Divergent Thought™ had 150 live shows and aired every Wednesday from 8-9pm on blis.fm
Charles is in the process of creating a new show called Everyday Conversations™. More information coming soon.
Requests for speaking engagements or interviews should be sent to benjamincarterhughes@concernedcitizenmedia.com
Best Kept Secrets: From Invisible Walk-ons to Life Champions (August 2019)
Best Kept Secrets was written by an athlete for athletes and those with an athletic or personal development mindset. At the macro level, this book is for people who have felt or feel marginalized and/or ostracized because they aren’t the superstar in their respective space. At the micro and more personal level, Best Kept Secrets is a book by a walk-on, for walk-ons, about walk-ons, and the power that we possess to move from feelings of invisibility to life champions.
While the context of Best Kept Secrets highlights the sports journey, it is not only about sports. It is also about life. The life game we play is not for the weak. It is for the battle tested. It is for the courageous. It is for those who understand their why.
Transitioning from best kept secret to life champion is about more than throwing a ball through a hoop, lifting weights, running a ball into an end zone, kicking a ball into or hitting a ball over a net. The transition is about the journey from caterpillar to butterfly. In order to become a life champion, significant effort is required. Craftsmanship and personal mastery are foundational. The mandates to become artisans of our own fortunes, the best of the best, examples of human potential, and love personified are calls to action. Fear and love cannot live in the same place. To transition from best kept secret to life champion, a willingness to carry on despite the odds stacked against you is imperative.
Best Kept Secrets is an outpouring of love. This is a manifesto for my forgotten tribe members. This is a clarion call for athletes and non-athletes who aspire to summit their chosen mountains.
Leading Through Difficulty: The Darker Side of Workplace Behavior (December 2017)
If you are a new manager or experienced manager, new leader or seasoned leader, it is critical that you understand the various, often unspoken, elements of the darker side of workplace behavior. Your charm, charisma, intellect, network, bank account, and/or academic pedigree do not play a role in others’ desires to engage in objectionable behaviors within the workplace.
Deviant workplace behavior happens. It happens everywhere. It happens all the time. The darker side of workplace behavior does not solely afflict terrible managers and leaders. It is not a nebulous conception that fails to impact elite organizations. The simple fact that humans are a part of the equation means that deviant workplace behavior will occur, and will happen more than you think. When it comes to routine nonconformity and dysfunctional workplace behavior, an elusive but fundamental question remains: Why are some individuals within the workplace inclined to participate in the darker side of workplace behavior?
Breakthrough: Stories of Resilience Tragedy and Triumph (May 2017)
Amazon and Westbow Press Best Seller
Breakthrough: Stories of Resilience, Tragedy, and Triumph captures the lived experiences and collective wisdom of individuals from varied walks of life. The trials, tribulations, and battle scars that we all don are not meant to be hidden. They should be embraced and shared with the world. Life is but a fleeting moment. Regardless of how long we live, it will not be long enough. As such, it is advisable to smile, have fun, live, learn, enjoy the life journey as much as possible, and break through whatever is holding us back from being the best version of ourselves.
Throughout Breakthrough, you will have the blessed fortune to learn about and incorporate the wisdom of some remarkable human beings who have experienced a variety of breakthroughs in their lives, are enjoying their journeys, and are successful, based on their own definitions. You will receive advice that will dramatically amend your perspectives on success, achievement, philosophies of life, love, and leadership, and many of the principles necessary for the full engagement and active participation in your life journey. You will learn the elemental importance of not allowing who you are to stop you from becoming who you want to be. The stories and themes of hard work, failure, resilience, learning from others, asking for help, leading from where you are, etc., are most inspirational. I am confident that the insights provided within these pages will offer you value and help you as you prepare or continue to offer useful service as a servant to many.
Scars, Exile, & Vindication: My Life As An Experiment (August 2012)
Have I been sent to this earth by the Creator to challenge the very being and thought processes of others? Was I made to be a comet in a planet full of stars? Is it my duty to give other people a reason to believe, a sense of hope? Why do I ask so many questions and try to understand such complex issues? I do not know the answer to…these questions. What I do know, however, is that writing my story…gave me a deeper meaning into what this world has in store for all of us, and it gave me the opportunity to enrich lives and hopefully be a blessing to others.
Charles serves as an Adjunct Professor of Leadership, Civility, and Personal Responsibility, Organizational Behavior, and Organizational Development & Transformation at the Undergraduate level. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Leadership Theory & Practice and Consulting Management & Practice at the Doctoral level. Within the local jail system, Charles teaches Life Skills (Communication, Financial Literacy, Decision-Making, and Mental Health) to men who are incarcerated and preparing for societal re-entry.
Charles has committed himself to service before self. He was taught at an early age that in order to offer sustainable value in life, one must strive to be a servant of many. As such, community engagement is a driving force in his life journey and he strives to add sustainable value to others.
Charles serves as Secretary of the Board for Shelter House, teaches Life Skills classes to men who are incarcerated and preparing for societal re-entry, volunteers as a Wish Granter for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and recently (July 2019) ended his four-year tenure as Chairman of the Board for OAR Nova. He also regularly engages in other volunteer and philanthropic efforts within and external to his community.
Blessed to receive the 2020 Alumni of the Year award for the Creighton University Graduate School. #GoJays
Excited to be a panelist at the WBJ FedBiz Forum to discuss talent acquisition, management, and retention
Exciting to share my thoughts with George Mason Students on the #WalkOnWay and the relentless pursuit of excellence
Excited to share my thoughts with George Mason Students regarding leadership, resiliency, and the relentless pursuit of excellence
Excited to engage with the students at Flex High about the life journey and offer insight into how to move from where you are to where you want to be.
Hype to run a kids’s Spartan Race with my son.
Honored to be a representative of the Creighton University National Alumni Board
The journey to another trifecta begins. #TrifectaTribe
