Charlene Thomas serves as chief diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) officer for UPS and is a member of the company’s Executive Leadership Team. Thomas leads the company's global DEI efforts both internally and externally with UPS employees, suppliers, and customers around the world.
Prior to being named Chief DEI Officer, Thomas served as the chief human resources officer. In this role she guided UPS’s transformation and HR initiatives to optimize the talent, leadership and culture for the company’s employees worldwide.
Thomas began her UPS career in 1989, progressing through successive leadership roles in U.S. Operations, including the West Chester, Pennsylvania, and Metro Philadelphia District. She served as package division manager in Baltimore and operations manager for the Alabama District. She later joined the Desert Mountain District as West Operations package operations manager and was promoted to president, Mid-South District and later president, North Atlantic District. Thomas also has held roles in global marketing, corporate learning, and talent development as the U.S. operations training director.
Currently, Thomas serves on the board of directors for ALLETE and the National Urban League. Recently, she served on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee, Orangewood Foundation in Orange County, California, and as an executive board member for Habitat for Humanity. Thomas is also a member of the Executive Leadership Council and has received numerous awards and accolades for human resources and leadership. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Temple University and an MBA in business administration from Eastern University.