Josie J. Thomas, Esq.
Executive Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer
CBS Corp., New York, N.Y.
Josie J. Thomas, Esq., transitioned to a career in diversity, from law and business affairs, for a chance to ?impact the industry? she had worked in for more than 10 years. ?I took the role because it was an opportunity to create a legacy that would extend beyond my years at CBS,? asserts Thomas, executive vice president and chief diversity officer at CBS Corp. She reports to the president and CEO of CBS and works with senior executives across the company on a wide range of diversity initiatives. She is also chair of the CBS Corp. Diversity Council.
Thomas has held other senior level diversity roles at CBS, for which she has a long list of accomplishments. One of these accomplishments is her early creation and implementation of the highly regarded CBS Diversity Institute, which continues to ?create opportunities both in front of and behind the camera and connect CBS executives with diverse talent,? she says. It now includes the Writers Mentoring Programs, Directing Initiatives, Daytime Casting Initiative, Actors Career Workshops, Sketch Comedy Showcases and the Writer Fellowship, which was developed in a partnership with the NAACP.
Among her many honors, Thomas received the first New York Women?s Chamber of Commerce Women of Excellence Award in corporate diversity, was named an exceptional woman executive in the ?Profiles in Diversity Journal? and was recognized as a Top Executive in Diversity by ?Black Enterprise.? She serves on the national board of the Alliance for Women in Media, the Susan G. Komen Greater New York City Board and others.
Thomas earned a bachelor?s degree in history at Harvard University and a Juris Doctor degree at the University of California?s Boalt Hall School of Law. A member of the New York State Bar and the Executive Leadership Council, she likes to quote Nelson Mandela: ?It always seems impossible until it?s done.?
