Dr. Gloria Thomas-Fuller

Dr. Gloria Thomas received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Southern University and A&M College, where she held scholarships from the Timbuktu Academy, the Honors College and the Packard Foundation. She held several internships and also worked in the chemical industry for a brief period before earning a doctorate in chemistry at LSU as a Louisiana Board of Regents Fellow and an American Association of University Women Fellow. Thomas was a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and an Assistant Professor at Mississippi State University and Xavier University of Louisiana. She returned to LSU for time as Executive Director of Research, Education and Mentoring Programs in the Office of Strategic Initiatives before taking the role of Director of the Center for Academic Success, and then focusing her efforts on Academic Engagement and Achievement. Her most recent career move has taken her back to the classroom at her beloved alma mater.

In all, Thomas' academic training and faculty appointments have occurred across a wide variety of educational institutions, including Very High Research Activity institutions (as classified by the Carnegie Foundation), Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs), and both public and a small liberal arts and Catholic institution. Thomas also holds a post-graduate certificate in academic leadership from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. These experiences have provided her a broad view of higher education, diverse student populations, emerging trends in higher education, and organizational effectiveness. 

Dr. Thomas is passionate about empowering students, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), and inclusive excellence. For her efforts in these areas, she received the 2014 Excellence in Mentoring Award, the 2010 Henry McBay Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the 2008 Outstanding Service Award, all from the National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers. She also earned the 2007 Stanley C. Israel Award for Advancing Diversity in the Chemical Sciences from the American Chemical Society.