Rushad Thomas

Background

About Rushad Thomas

A native of Central Florida, Rushad Thomas brings a passion for liberal democracy and progressive values to his role as Director of Policy and Government Relations at Faith in Public Life. Rushad leads FPL/A’s legislative advocacy work both on Capitol Hill in Washington and in our three target states of Florida, Georgia, and Ohio. Rushad’s work is focused on empowering faith leaders to reach state and national lawmakers in the pursuit of a more just and equitable society. After working for three years on civic education and historic preservation/interpretation at the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation, Rushad made his way to D.C, where he’s worked for a variety of organizations, from a higher education policy nonprofit to a center-left think tank. Immediately prior to Faith in Public Life, Rushad served as Legislative Affairs Director at End Citizens United // Let America Vote Action Fund, where he led federal legislative advocacy on campaign finance reform, voting rights, and ending corruption in government. Rushad also previously served as a policy advisor for The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations, where he lobbied on a wide-ranging domestic economic and social policy portfolio. Rushad holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Florida A&M University, a Master’s degree in Government and a Graduate Certificate in Political Management from Regent University, and a Master’s degree in Political Communication from American University. As an undergraduate he received the prestigious Bill Gates Millennium Scholarship, and in graduate school he was a Faculty Honors Scholar, a Dean's Intern, and a graduate assistant. He also received the Outstanding Research Award for his Master's thesis “The Political Movement of Pat Robertson," and the Outstanding Graduate Award for excellence in leadership, scholarship, and service. In his down time, Rushad enjoys following politics, spending time with friends and family, reading history books, teaching Sunday School, visiting historic sites, and keeping up with the British Royal Family. A devout Episcopalian, Rushad is a parishioner and serves on the vestry at Grace Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Virginia, and served on the search committee for the 14th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia.