Mary L. Thomas

Chief Operating Officer, The Spartanburg County Foundation

Why does the leadership of Black women in philanthropy matter?

a. Philanthropy seeks to solve humanity’s most complex problems. Most black women are proximate to these issues and can amplify the voices of those who are most impacted by these challenges. Black women lead from a place of courage and authenticity that is needed in transformative work and particularly in philanthropy. They have the street credibility to break down barriers where others are often challenged. Black women can mobilize communities of color where others struggle. Black women have very good instincts about people dynamics and can navigate systems exceptionally well despite being challenged. The leadership of black women matters because philanthropy demands it.

Describe your leadership as a black woman.

I am a competent, quality, and innovative thought leader who champions causes to perpetuate other leaders to work towards community change.

What does Voice. Vision. Value. mean to you?

Voice, Vision and Value are three of the most important qualities that I have demonstrated over the past three decades in my leadership roles in the nonprofit sector.

Voice

To be present and not be heard is futile. It is important to not just show up but to be present when we show up. We, as black women in leadership, must have something to contribute for the common good of humanity. Often times, I have been the only black woman either in the workplace, on a board, in a civic club, or in a social setting and have found it paramount to make sure that my voice is heard. While I do not speak for all black people, my voice is a representation of the black experience. It has been and is very important for me to never forget this when I attend some of the most premier events philanthropy has to offer. Voice is our vehicle for change and when we know how to use it, great things can happen. “To whom much is given, much is also expected. “Luke 12:48

Vision

“Without a vision, the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18 “If you do not know where you are going, any road can take you there.” Lewis Carroll

Vision brings clarity. It is important for leaders, and I believe especially black women, to be clear about what their aspirations are in leading change. Too many times, when we are not clear, we fall into marginalization or we end up being left behind. People follow visionaries. Our lens is a little different from our counterparts, and we can help lead a new narrative when we have clear vision about our place in setting a course for change.

Value

I have found myself constantly being measured by my value. What are the results of my leadership? What difference am I making to advance philanthropy? Does it matter and to whom? What is my presence worth? I try to lead in a way that makes these answers become easy to articulate. Black Women in Leadership are constantly under scrutiny whether it is a particular leadership style or the tone in which we take for advocating for a cause. My leadership can be found all over our community, the region and around the country when it comes to creating ladders for others to soar, to excel and to bring about change. Winning the Robert W. Scrivner Award propelled me in a way professionally that allowed my “black voice” to be heard and respected. The establishment of the Mary L. Thomas Award for Civic Leadership and Community Change Fund is my legacy. This is one of the most pronounced ways my value is being manifested as a black woman in leadership. Also, the opportunity to lead the first Center for Philanthropy in the State of S.C. is another milestone in my career that marks my value, my shared vision with our team, and my voice for change. And, most recently being elected the first African American Chairwoman of Apella Health is another milestone on this journey.

How has the presence and power of Black women changed the philanthropic sector?

Slow as it may be, the philanthropic sector is changing and that has become increasingly clear over the past twenty years. Our discourse around diversity, race and equity are ways that the power of black women has manifested in our work in recent times. The tenor around the board room table has changed from being tunnel vision to community centric/focused. A deeper understanding of the role that philanthropy must play has become clearer because of not only the presence and power of black women but also the vast social capital and knowledge that black women bring to the philanthropic sector.

How would you describe this moment in history?

We are at a moment in history where we get to shape what the future could be for the next generation. Philanthropy has taught us many lessons in giving, collaboration, building assets, leveraging other resources, access to influence and power, thought leadership and so many others. This moment in history affords us the chance to tap into this broad knowledge to build the capacity of grassroots efforts being birthed out of this moment in history to change the very trajectory of how community works, organizes and lives the American Dream.

What are the ways Black women in philanthropy can support and sustain Black women movement building?

We, as black women in philanthropy, have seen the power of collective impact and what it means to work together across all sectors. It is incumbent upon us to make sure these lessons are passed on to this next generation to build upon and sustain the movement and to support coalition building for our community

Bio

Mary L. Thomas has over 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer of The Spartanburg County Foundation where she is responsible for the day to day operations of the organization and leads its mission, vision, and strategies while translating the Foundation’s goals into the overall program of work. Prior to joining the Foundation in 1998, Ms. Thomas was the Executive Director of The Bethlehem Center, a ministry that serves families in the Highland community of Spartanburg, SC for 11 years.

Ms. Thomas is a graduate of Winthrop University, and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in French and Communications. She was an exchange student to France through Lenoir-Rhyne College in 1983 and is a former French teacher in Spartanburg District 7 schools.

Ms. Thomas is a very active leader in the Spartanburg community and has held extensive leadership roles with a host of organizations throughout the area and beyond. She currently serves on the Apella Board of the Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, Converse College Board of Visitors, the Northside Development Group Board of Directors, and the BMW Community Advisory Panel. Her past board service includes: The Southeastern Council of Foundations, The Rotary Club of Spartanburg, CF Leads, Women in Philanthropy, AFL Advisory Board, the Mary Black Health System Women’s and Children’s Advisory Board, the Mary Black Health System Board of Trustees, and SC ETV Advisory Board. She is also a former Commissioner for The South Carolina State Housing and Finance Authority. Ms. Thomas is a graduate of Leadership Spartanburg, Furman University Diversity Leadership Institute, and Spartanburg Regional Fellows. She is a Past Chair of The SC Grantmakers, the Spartanburg County Consensus Project, and Spartanburg Communities in Schools.

Ms. Thomas’s many honors include but are not limited to: being named Top Three Distinguished Grantmakers by the Council on Foundations in 2014 and, in 2006, being the first African American to win the Council on Foundation’s Robert W. Scrivner Award for Creative Grantmaking established by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund of New York. She took her prize money of $10,000 coupled with numerous gifts from the Spartanburg community to establish the Mary L. Thomas Award for Civic Leadership and Community Change. This award is managed by The Spartanburg County Foundation, and a deserving leader is recognized annually for his/her leadership on critical issues in the Spartanburg community. Other honors include Junior League Sustainer of the Year, the James E. Whitmire Meritorious Award, the Sunrise Civitan Good Citizen Award, the Mary McCloud Bethune Trailblazer Award (presented by the National Council of Negro Women), the 1998 Piedmont Area Girl Scouts Woman of Achievement, and a 1997 YMCA Black Achiever. She was ordained as a minister in 1986 by the Rocky River Baptist Association and is the second female to have that distinction in the Association. She is a member of Cornerstone Baptist Church where she serves as an Elder and Ministry Advisor. Ms. Thomas is the daughter of Mrs. Louise Thomas and Fred Thomas of Spartanburg, SC and is the eldest of three children. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, decorating, cooking, and sports.

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