Jamila Thomas is a 2019 Presidential Leadership Scholar appointed by the Presidential Centers of William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson. She is a native of Dallas, Texas and a graduate of Florida A&M University, located in Tallahassee, Florida. She received her undergraduate degree in Business Administration and a graduate degree, Masters of Business of Administration (MBA). She also has Master of Arts degree in Divinity from The University of Chicago Divinity School. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Leadership Studies at Dallas Baptist University. In 2018, at the direction of Dallas Independent School District Board of Trustees, Jamila created and established the Racial Equity Office for Dallas ISD. In this capacity, she was responsible for developing culturally responsive policies and programs designed to close the achievement gap and simultaneously build culturally intelligent practices for all faculty and staff. In addition, Jamila was instrumental in guiding the Texas State Board of Education towards the historic and unanimous statewide adoption of the African American History course.  As a result of her success, Jamila founded Cultured Consulting Group. Her company provides strategic consulting, professional development, and policy development to for profit, non profit, educational, and governmental agencies.