Rodney’s Journey

Rodney Thomas most recently served as the Vice President of National Programs at Surge Institute. In this role, he was responsible for ensuring the sustainability of Surge’s current Fellowship and Academy sites as well as laying the programmatic groundwork for future expansion.  

Rodney has vast experience in the education, private and nonprofit sectors,. In his role as Senior Associate at the National Equity Project, he was responsible for designing and providing unique leadership and organizational development solutions that focused on addressing individual, structural, institutional inequities and complex change efforts. 

He began his career as an 8th-grade teacher in Chicago Public Schools where he was honored as Teacher of the Year. After spending several years in the classroom, Rodney transitioned into the private sector and worked for companies such as Accenture,  Motorola, and Unilever, with a focus on organizational development and design,  executive coaching, change management, and leadership development. Realizing the type of impact he wanted to have on his community, Rodney later returned to Chicago  Public Schools and was responsible for several large-scale projects from the implementation of Freshman On Track to the co-creation of The Chicago Leadership  Collaborative, a principal training and support program. Rodney’s experience in design thinking methodology has led him to partner with some of the nation’s top academic institutions like Harvard, Stanford, and the University of Chicago. He has a passion for innovation and ingenuity with a keen appreciation for strong systems, processes, and structures.  

Growing up in the Cabrini Green Neighborhood has led him to his life’s work. It is his personal “why” that drives the passion he has for supporting communities and organizations working toward creating diverse, inclusive, and equitable spaces for leaders to thrive.