Christopher (Chris) Thomas

Christopher (Chris) Thomas joined CWA Local 1180 in August 2021 as a Staff Representative for the private sector organizations. Chris comes with a decade of experience in the non-profit field, and has worked with non-profits since he was a teenager.

Chris previously worked at the international grant-making and advocacy organization, the Open Society Foundations, within their General Counsel’s office and Public Health Program bringing a legal, data, grant making, and operations background. While there, he also operated as a Shop Steward for their staff union, negotiated their collective bargaining agreement, and managed a range of HR issues. He spent time working on the second Obama campaign for President, interned with New York State Senator Liz Krueger, and worked on local campaigns for Andrew Cuomo and Anthony Cannataro. 

Chris has experience in data management, and almost 10 years of legal experience writing and interpreting legal agreements, creating and implementing robust training and onboarding programs. Aside from his work duties, he harbors a strong commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness as evident by his participation in various affinity groups and committee memberships, and his DEI certificate from Cornell University.

Chris holds a Bachelor of Library Arts in Political Science and Sociology from Hampshire College. In his free time, you can find Chris bouldering around various climbing gyms in New York City or engaging with anything geeky.