Dr. Anita Thomas, new president of North Central College in Naperville. (North Central College photo)

Dr. Anita Thomas celebrates something of a homecoming as she settles in as North Central College’s new president.

Thomas, who took over as the Naperville institution’s 11th chief executive on July 1, is quite familiar with the rich academic traditions of the Chicago area that North Central shares.

“I came for undergraduate education at Northwestern, pursued my doctorate and started my work in academia as a faculty member and eventually  an administrator,” she said in a recent video interview on the college’s web site. “So I’m very familiar with all the colleges and universities in the Chicagoland area.

“When this opportunity came forward to be part of the North Central College community (I) was very excited, first for being able to come back home to Chicago (and) the strength of the college and its reputation, its embededness within the community and the whole host of alumni who are really making changes in the world. That made this a really great opportunity.”

Thomas is the first woman to lead North Central in the school’s 162-year history and first woman of color. She was a unanimous pick of North Central College’s Board of Trustees following a months-long national search.

She most recently served as executive vice president and provost at Minnesota’s St. Catherine University, one of the largest private women’s universities in the country.

“What makes North Central so great (is) the sense of community and the family,” said Thomas, who will also hold the faculty rank of professor of psychology in North Central’s College of Arts and Sciences. “There’s a broad array of academic programs and opportunities for students, there’s a lot of co-curricular activities certainly being at a place with a nationally-ranked and championship football team.
“I’m really excited about being here.”

She succeeded Dr. Troy D. Hammond, who served from 2013-22 and oversaw a $150 million fundraising campaign that brought sweeping physical improvements to the campus as well as significant academic changes.

“With more than 25 years of experience in academia, she has a keen sense of the higher education landscape,” said Dr. Holly Humphrey, Board of Trustees chair. “Just as important, her values are aligned with North Central College’s mission to prepare students to become curious and engaged citizens and leaders in their communities. Dr. Thomas is poised to move the College forward into its next chapter.”

Thomas holds  a doctorate in counseling psychology from Loyola University Chicago, specializing in family therapy and multicultural counseling. She also earned a master’s degree in community counseling from Loyola. Her bachelor’s degree in education and social policy is from Northwestern.

She also served 10 years as a faculty member in Loyola’s counseling psychology and school counseling department. Prior to Loyola, she was associate professor and department chair for counselor education at Northeastern Illinois University.

Before arriving at St. Catherine in 2019, Thomas was founding dean of the College of Applied Behavioral Sciences at the University of Indianapolis, where she provided oversight for academic programs in psychology, social work, mental health counseling, and art therapy. Like North Central College, the University of Indianapolis is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.

In 2010, Thomas received the Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year Award from Loyola’s Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs.

Thomas’ leadership extends to her involvement with the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, the Council of Independent Colleges, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, and the American Psychological Association.

Thomas is known nationally for her research on racial socialization in African American families, stereotypical roles of African American women and girls, and the development of critical consciousness and resilience.

She has conducted training, seminars, and workshops on multicultural issues for state and national professional organizations in counseling and psychology, as well as for hospitals, corporations, and human service organizations. She received the Association of Black Psychologists Research Award in 2013, and she has co-authored two books.

A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Thomas was raised in a family of educators who taught her the importance and value of education, both as a process and an outcome.