Patty Ball-Thomas, Ph.D., Licensed Unity Teacher

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." -- Maya Angelou

Dr. Thomas has been a truth student since she started reading the Daily Word while she was a high school student. She has always had a strong interest in religious materials and would read whatever she could get her hands on. Her formal introduction to Unity was not until 1984 when she first attended Unity of Tallahassee where she served as Youth Education Director for more than 14 years. Her proven dedication to education and empowering young people to thrive through spiritual education and community involvement greatly benefited the children and parents. Dr. Thomas was instrumental in the church’s effort in building a facility to house the children’s program. She was featured in the book authored by Keene and Jensen, Emerging Women in the 21st Century, where she was recognized for her outstanding work with children. In 1995, she wrote a publication titled "Holiday Experiences of Unity Children's Programs."

In the late 1990s Dr. Thomas moved her membership to Unity Eastside (formerly known as Unity Church in Christ). Since that time she has dedicated herself to Adult Education by teaching classes for credit and by assisting the minister upon her request. Currently, she serves on the confidential prayer team and is coordinator of the Chaplain’s program. Every Wednesday, Dr. Thomas leads Unity Eastside's noon prayer service.

Dr. Thomas was born in Jacksonville, Florida. After high school she moved to Tallahassee, where she earned a B.S. in Elementary Education from Florida A&M University in 1967. After graduating from FAMU, she returned to Jacksonville to work in Duval County Public Schools. In 1969, she moved to Okeechobee to work for their school system and back to Tallahassee in 1974 to join the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services. During that time she earned a M.S. from FSU in Reading/Language Education.

After teaching for a while in the Leon County Public Schools, she was employed by the Department of Education where she was the Administrator for the Office of Early Intervention and School Readiness. In 2000, Dr. Thomas left the Department of Education to complete her dissertation. She graduated from Florida A&M University with a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership in 2001 and is now employed as an Assistant Professor in the College of Education.

She has active memberships in numerous organizations including Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.; Capitol Women’s Network; Society of Governmental Meeting Planners; Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society; Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Capital Area Community Action Agency; President of Phi Delta Kappa (FAMU Chapter), President of Societas Docta, Inc.(Tallahassee Chapter), and Vice President of ZONTA. Dr. Thomas has also been appointed by Florida's Governor to serve as a Commissioner on the Commission on Human Relations.

Dr. Thomas is married to Walter and has one son, Frederick. Her hobbies include traveling and reading.