Carole and her family.
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A Video Message From Carole |
Who Is Carole Copeland Thomas?
Carole Copeland Thomas has been impacting the world in a significant way for over thirty-six years. Captivating audiences around the world since starting her business in 1987, Carole creates community as an internationally-recognized keynote speaker, thought leader, and cultural collaborator. She has spoken in nearly every state in the US and nine other countries, including England, Canada, Kenya, India, Guyana, Japan, El Salvador, South Africa, and Australia.
Carole presented her signature message on "Facing Fear" at the TEDx Waltham event in Waltham, Massachusetts. The speech is available to view on the TEDx Channel on YouTube.
In addition to her other business client activities, Carole served for 18 months as the Interim Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts.
Born In Detroit
Detroit, Michigan, is Carole's birthplace, where she was born into a loving family: Gwendolyn Charleston Copeland, a lifelong educator who spoke multiple languages, and Wilson A. Copeland, an international businessman and a Tuskegee Airman during World War II. Carole and her brother, Attorney Wilson A. Copeland, II, were born at Burton Mercy Hospital, one of the Black hospitals operating in Detroit when Black physicians could not practice in White hospitals.
Outreach To Worldwide Issues
Carole served as an adjunct faculty member for Bentley University for a decade. She co-founded a non-profit international organization with nine other women as a result of a 2005 trip to Kenya. The group returned to Kenya in November 2007 for humanitarian projects and to host their first International Conference in Mombasa, Kenya. Her current humanitarian activities are focused on Southern India, aiding women and children in the region.
Multicultural Symposium Series
Carole is the founder of the Multicultural Symposium Series, a multi-year events initiative and online campaign developed to advance multicultural issues. Carole is an active blogger and social media strategist using various technology platforms to enhance her business development activities. Due to the worldwide pandemic, her November 2020 event was a Worldwide Multicultural Conference featuring 62 speakers from 12 countries on 6 of the 7 continents. As with the Virtual November 2021-2023 Multicultural Conferences, the upcoming November 2024 Multicultural Conference will reach a worldwide audience.
US UK Summit On Race
In 2021 Carole founded the US UK Summit on Race with three other colleagues in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The US UK Summit on Race explores the opportunities and strategic actions necessary to solve hatred and racial violence on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. To date 11 Virtual Events have been held, including the June 2024 Summit in tribute to Juneteenth in the United States and in tribute to the death of George Floyd.
Active In Community and Civic Affairs
Carole is the former Tri-State Social Action Eastern Region Coordinator for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She is the Chair of the Multicultural Committee for Meet Boston (formerly The Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau). A lifetime member of the National Black MBA Association, Carole served as Past President of the Boston Chapter and Past National Vice Chair of the organization. Carole was the Diversity and Inclusion Forum Chair for the Northeast Human Resources Association (NEHRA). She has been an active member of the National Speakers Association (NSA) for 29 years, serving in various leadership roles, including Past President of NSA New England.
Education and Continued Learning
Carole graduated with honors in 1975 from Emory University. She entered graduate school in 1983 (on a Martin Luther King, Jr. academic fellowship) and received her MBA degree from Northeastern University in Boston.
She received her Certified Diversity Meeting Professional Designation, CDMP, from the International Association of Hispanic Meeting Professionals in 2011. Her most recent designation was awarded in 2015: Certified International Tour Manager, CITM, from the International Guide Academy. She tied as the top student in her graduating class.
Mother & Grandmother
Carole is the mother of three children: Dr. Lorna Thomas Farquharson (husband Jerome), Michelle Thomas Monteiro (husband Alberto), and the late Mickarl D. Thomas, Jr. She does her best to spoil her granddaughters Julianna Gwendolyn Farquharson and Gabrielle Jaeda Farquharson.
Carole presented her signature message on "Facing Fear" at the TEDx Waltham event in Waltham, Massachusetts. The speech is available to view on the TEDx Channel on YouTube.
In addition to her other business client activities, Carole served for 18 months as the Interim Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts.
Born In Detroit
Detroit, Michigan, is Carole's birthplace, where she was born into a loving family: Gwendolyn Charleston Copeland, a lifelong educator who spoke multiple languages, and Wilson A. Copeland, an international businessman and a Tuskegee Airman during World War II. Carole and her brother, Attorney Wilson A. Copeland, II, were born at Burton Mercy Hospital, one of the Black hospitals operating in Detroit when Black physicians could not practice in White hospitals.
Outreach To Worldwide Issues
Carole served as an adjunct faculty member for Bentley University for a decade. She co-founded a non-profit international organization with nine other women as a result of a 2005 trip to Kenya. The group returned to Kenya in November 2007 for humanitarian projects and to host their first International Conference in Mombasa, Kenya. Her current humanitarian activities are focused on Southern India, aiding women and children in the region.
Multicultural Symposium Series
Carole is the founder of the Multicultural Symposium Series, a multi-year events initiative and online campaign developed to advance multicultural issues. Carole is an active blogger and social media strategist using various technology platforms to enhance her business development activities. Due to the worldwide pandemic, her November 2020 event was a Worldwide Multicultural Conference featuring 62 speakers from 12 countries on 6 of the 7 continents. As with the Virtual November 2021-2023 Multicultural Conferences, the upcoming November 2024 Multicultural Conference will reach a worldwide audience.
US UK Summit On Race
In 2021 Carole founded the US UK Summit on Race with three other colleagues in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The US UK Summit on Race explores the opportunities and strategic actions necessary to solve hatred and racial violence on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. To date 11 Virtual Events have been held, including the June 2024 Summit in tribute to Juneteenth in the United States and in tribute to the death of George Floyd.
Active In Community and Civic Affairs
Carole is the former Tri-State Social Action Eastern Region Coordinator for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She is the Chair of the Multicultural Committee for Meet Boston (formerly The Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau). A lifetime member of the National Black MBA Association, Carole served as Past President of the Boston Chapter and Past National Vice Chair of the organization. Carole was the Diversity and Inclusion Forum Chair for the Northeast Human Resources Association (NEHRA). She has been an active member of the National Speakers Association (NSA) for 29 years, serving in various leadership roles, including Past President of NSA New England.
Education and Continued Learning
Carole graduated with honors in 1975 from Emory University. She entered graduate school in 1983 (on a Martin Luther King, Jr. academic fellowship) and received her MBA degree from Northeastern University in Boston.
She received her Certified Diversity Meeting Professional Designation, CDMP, from the International Association of Hispanic Meeting Professionals in 2011. Her most recent designation was awarded in 2015: Certified International Tour Manager, CITM, from the International Guide Academy. She tied as the top student in her graduating class.
Mother & Grandmother
Carole is the mother of three children: Dr. Lorna Thomas Farquharson (husband Jerome), Michelle Thomas Monteiro (husband Alberto), and the late Mickarl D. Thomas, Jr. She does her best to spoil her granddaughters Julianna Gwendolyn Farquharson and Gabrielle Jaeda Farquharson.
