Tonya Thomas is the Whole Child Program Manager/Consultant for the Partnership for Resilience. Prior to joining the Partnership, Tonya served as an instructional coach for a suburban school district. For many years Tonya served in various capacities with Chicago Public Schools, including, but not limited to classroom teacher, curriculum coordinator, and mentor for the Chicago Public Schools’ New Teacher Mentoring Program. Tonya served as a coach and trainer for Scholastic’s Read180 program where she trained teachers across the state of Illinois on the use of the reading program. Tonya has coached, consulted, and trained parents on developing homeschool curricula, and best teaching practices for homeschool programs; she has collaborated with community and educational groups on the south and west sides of Chicago in relation to educational reform, in the fight for equity and justice for students. As a community educator she has conducted sensitivity trainings for hospital emergency room, and school staff, on best communication practices in relation to survivors of violent, traumatic, and sexual assault experiences. Tonya currently advises and develops curricula for Black authors of children’s books that tell stories that empower, encourage, and educate children. Tonya holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, a Master of Arts degree in Curriculum and Instruction, a Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership with a Type 75 endorsement. She holds endorsements in Middle School Language Arts, Social Science, and is currently a Doctoral student with a focus on Teacher leadership. Tonya is looking forward to supporting the continued growth and development of the programs of the Partnership for Resilience.