Richard N. Thomas

Richard N. Thomas P.E, was born and raised in Huntington WV to Bennie & Wendy Thomas in 1979. He attended Huntington East High School and was a member of the first graduating class of the “new” Huntington High School in 1997. In high school he lettered in both soccer and basketball. Upon graduation he attended the WVU Institute of Technology, in Montgomery where he majored in Civil Engineering. While at Tech, Mr. Thomas served as both the President and Vice President of the student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He graduated in May 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.

While in college, Thomas was selected for a Co-op Position with the US Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District, in the Civil Design Section. Upon graduation, he accepted a permanent position with the Corps in the Design Branch before ultimately transferring to the Construction Branch. During his time with the Corps of Engineers, he has worked for the Huntington (WV), Louisville (KY), Jacksonville (FL) and Savannah (GA) districts in various capacities in the construction field. In addition to his work in the continental US, he has also participated in one-year deployments to Afghanistan and Bulgaria. Mr. Thomas has been responsible for more than $400 million in construction projects both domestically and abroad.

While working in Huntington, Mr. Thomas tutored and mentored students in Math and Technology and volunteered speaking to several groups of students about the STEM field and his personal journey. Thomas maintains special contact with local mentees sharing information, advice and career opportunities.

Mr. Thomas was named a 2024 Black Engineer of the Year Award Modern-Day Technology Leader in February at the BEYA STEM DTX Conference in Baltimore, MD. Thomas was also featured in the June ’24 USA TODAY Special Edition and the March 2-3, 2024 edition of the Herald-Dispatch Personnel Section. In 2006 while in the Huntington District, Thomas received the Emerging Leaders [Award] which was quite an honor for someone in the Huntington District. He has received numerous other awards and commendations throughout his career, including the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service and the Civilian Award for Humanitarian Service.

Mr. Thomas is a registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) and a warranted Administrative Contracting Officer. In his current role, he oversees all construction activities at Robins and Moody Air Force Bases in Georgia as well as in the Atlanta-Metro area where he oversees an approximately $50M annual construction program.