Deb Thomas, Giving of Her Time and Talent Since 2002
Deb Thomas started working with the Center for Women & Enterprise in 2002 when the law firm where she worked as an associate created an externship. She spent five months as a full-time consultant working with CWE clients. It was a life-changing experience. ““The clients at CWE were so appreciative of the information we could give them,” says Deb. “I could demystify basic contract and choice of entity questions, and they felt empowered to make business decisions. As a young lawyer, it was the first time I’d felt like I could really make a difference in helping a business owner achieve financial success.”
In 2008 when Deb decided to stop practicing law to stay at home with her daughter, she knew she wanted meaningful work outside the home, too. She returned to CWE as a volunteer and over the course of several years had a hand in many different programs in the Boston office. Deb oversaw the volunteer program. She conducted intake and placement of volunteers, developed a volunteer lawyer program with Choate, Hall & Stewart, managed the all-volunteer one-on-one consulting program and helped update CWE’s volunteer and instructor contracts.
In 2015, Deb joined the Board of Directors at CWE. Since then she has generously given of her time to lead the Resource Development and CWE Auction & Gala Committee. Deb’s work has helped CWE raise funds for programs and scholarships that help ensure that all women, regardless of their economic status have access to CWE and all it has to offer. She also serves on the CWE women-owned business certification committee and conducts site visits for the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) program. Through her work Deb helps women-owned businesses grow and expand their visibility among decision makers in supplier diversity and procurement.
Why CWE?
“CWE gives me a way to help people that fits with my experience representing start-ups. I love that we are giving people tools to achieve financial security for themselves. I also think entrepreneurship has an important role to play in decreasing income inequality and providing an alternative to sometimes prohibitively expensive higher education. Equally important to me is the effect that growing numbers of women business leaders will have on making workplaces safer and more equal for women.”