Dr. Stephanie A. Thomas has more than 20 years of service with the Atlanta Police Department. Dr. Thomas joined the Atlanta Police Department in 1999 as a Human Resource Specialist, teaching computers and becoming Training Manager at the Training Academy until 2019.    

In 2019, she became the first professional staff member to be appointed as The Atlanta Police Leadership Institute (A.P.L.I.) training director.

In 2020, Dr. Thomas partnered with I.A.C.P. to develop a robust training regimen focused on producing leaders who understand the critical role of relationship dynamics and communication skills.

She emphasizes professional development, grounded in the adage, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”  The focus is on making a connection, learning what motivates an individual, and figuratively how to connect with a person where he/she is.

Cultural change is dynamic and happens over time, accelerated by specific events but dependent on an organizational commitment to change demanded by management, reinforced by leaders, incented, and celebrated when practiced.

Dr. Thomas arrived at the Atlanta Police Department with over ten years of educational experience as a Criminal Justice Adjunct Professor in the Public School System.   She excelled in training through her tenure at the Atlanta Police Department Training Academy, serving as a senior Peace Officer Standard Training (P.O.S.T) Instructor. Dr. Thomas has facilitated training with ILEA in Botswana, South Africa; she is a Certified Critical Incident Command Instructor and often facilitates the Leadership Course with the Atlanta Police Department and Israel Law Enforcement International Exchange Program. 

Dr. Thomas holds an undergraduate degree in Human Resource Administration, a Master of Science in Public Safety Leadership, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership and Policy and currently pursuing a Master of Science in Industrial Organizational Psychology. She is a member of The National Society of Leadership and Success (N.S.L.S.).