Penelope Thomas

Ms. Thomas has a passion for promoting diversity and strongly believes in the professional development of the USAID work force.

Prior to joining the Office of External Outreach and Strategic Recruitment in the Office of Human Capital and Talent Management (XOSR/HCTM) in January 2023 as the new Development Diplomat in Residence-South, Ms. Thomas served as a Supervisory Executive Officer in Pakistan, Nigeria, Colombia, The Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana, Bangladesh, and Mali and Egypt. Her previous assignments also include serving as the Operations Chief in the Management Bureau's Overseas Management Division (M/MS/OMD) responsible for supervising, training, mentoring, coaching, and hiring new Executive Officers. She also worked for the Office of Security as the Operations Chief of the USAID Command Center in USAID/Washington.

She has experience studying, living, and working overseas since 1979. With a bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf College in French and Spanish, he speaks both at native levels which gives her greater access to diverse populations.

After graduating from St. Olaf College, Ms. Thomas joined the United States Peace Corps in Gabon, Central Africa, where she taught English in a rural village from 1989 to 1991. She has worked with several international development organizations including Africare and the Service and Development Agency Inc. of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME-SADA).

Ms. Thomas is an accomplished singer and was a member of the renown Gospel group called The Sounds of Blackness. She was also a backup singer for Prince.