Hello GDO Members,
It is with regret that I share the news of the recent passing of one of our
diversity field's forefathers, Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr. May he rest in
peace.
Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr. of Decatur, Georgia, husband of Judge Ruby J.
Thomas, passed away on Friday, May 17, 2013. Survivors are his wife, Ruby
J. Thomas; sons, Shane Thomas and Jarred Thomas; daughter, April Thomas;
grandson, Montre' Thomas; brother, Robert Potts Thomas (Carol); nephews,
Robert Potts Thomas, Jr. and Jason Thomas; cousins, Nola Potts and Marla
Potts; a host of other nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr., was at the forefront of developing and
implementing innovative concepts and strategies for maximizing
organizational and individual potential through diversity management. He
served as CEO of Roosevelt Thomas Consulting & Training, Inc.
Roosevelt Thomas authored five published books: The Giraffe and Elephant: A
Diversity Fable (A publication of the American Institute for Managing
Diversity, Inc., 2002); Building a House for Diversity: A Fable about a
Giraffe and an Elephant offers New Strategies for Today's Workforce
(AMACOM, a division of the American Management Association, 1999);
Redefining Diversity (AMACOM, 1996); Differences Do Make a Difference
(AIMD, 1992); and Beyond Race and Gender: Unleashing the Power of Your
Total Work Force by Managing Diversity (AMACOM, 1991). He also authored
several articles, such as the Harvard Business Review article "From
Affirmative Action to Affirming Diversity" (March-April 1990), which
alerted Corporate America to the need for moving beyond EEO in addressing
the challenge of empowering a diverse workforce. He contributed to several
periodicals and trade publications. In addition to his writing, Roosevelt
Thomas developed a series of video tapes.
Dr. Thomas earned a D.B.A. in Organizational Behavior from Harvard
University, an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Chicago, and a B.A.
in Mathematics Summa Cum Laude from Morehouse College, where he was elected
to Phi Beta Kappa. He has also served as Secretary of Morehouse College,
Dean of the Graduate School of Business Administration at Atlanta
University, assistant professor at the Harvard Business School, and
instructor at Morehouse College.
In 1998, the National Academy of Human Resources elected and installed Dr.
Roosevelt Thomas as a Fellow. He has also been recognized by The Wall
Street Journal as one of the top ten consultants in the country, and cited
by Human Resource Executive as one of HR's Most Influential People. In
1995, he received the American Society for Training and
Development's "Distinguished Contribution to Human Resource Development"
Award. Roosevelt Thomas has been active for more than 20 years as a
consultant to numerous Fortune 500 companies, corporations, professional
firms, government entities, non-profit organizations and academic
institutions, and he has served as a frequent speaker at national
conferences and industry seminars.
Online condolences may be offered at the following website:
http://www.carlmwilliams.com/obits/obituary.php?id=298187
Our support goes out to his family, friends and colleagues.
Kind Regards,
Dianne Murphy
AOM GDO Listserv Manager
UW-Milwaukee
Sources:
http://premierespeakers.com/roosevelt_thomas/bio
http://www.rthomasconsulting.com/dr-r-roosevelt-thomas-jr/4539565987