Thomas supported the City of Richmond’s initiative to build an innovative culture in the Department of Social Services. By adopting civic technology and open data he was able to improve service delivery and access to services and information for employees, non-profit partners, and the city’s residents. Thomas developed a regional approach to implementing the Aunt Bertha tool, a portal that allows users to search for free and reduced cost social service programs by their zip code. Thomas surpassed 150% of target goals by executing a regional approach to installing Aunt Bertha. Aunt Bertha was added to the agency’s balance scorecard so that the executive leadership team will be held accountable for continuous use of the tool. Most importantly, Richmond’s Department of Social Services was able to extend their level of service to clients without increasing the organization’s budget through Thomas’ work.
THOMAS HOUSTON (2013-14) came to FUSE in 2013 with 10 years of advertising and project management experience, working with organizations including Cadbury Adams, Philip Morris, Sara Lee, Walmart, the District of Columbia and the National Urban League. After his fellowship, Thomas moved to New York City where he became a Fellow with Education Pioneers, supporting Turnaround for Children grow in their quest to help children in high poverty schools receive the education they deserve. In 2015, he began work with the District of Columbia as a Social Marketing Specialist, working to expose and decrease indicators of poverty by making a link between public health and education. Thomas also serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Medici Road, a non-profit think tank that seeks to reduce generational poverty by connecting better education and public health outcomes. Thomas holds a BBA in Marketing from Howard University and an MBA from the Pennsylvania State University.
2013-2014 | City of Richmond - Office of the Mayor