Lucy Thomas was born on March 2nd, 1989 in Chicago, Illinois to parents Michael and Sarah Thomas. Her father worked as an accountant and her mother was an elementary school teacher. Lucy was the oldest of three children, with younger brothers James and Henry born in 1991 and 1994, respectively.
The family lived in a suburban neighborhood of Chicago where Lucy attended local public schools. She was an excellent student from a young age, always interested in reading, writing, math, science, and learning about the world around her. As a child, some of her favorite activities included reading novels, putting together jigsaw puzzles, collecting stamps, and playing strategy board games with her family.
Facts and Stats
| Date | Details |
|---|---|
| March 2, 1989 | Born in Chicago, Illinois |
| 1991 | Younger brother James born |
| 1994 | Younger brother Henry born |
Even from a young age, Lucy demonstrated strong interpersonal skills and leadership abilities. She founded a neighborhood book club when she was 10 years old and organized local food drives every year for the homeless shelter downtown. With her friendly, outgoing nature and gift for bringing people together, Lucy was elected student body president in both middle school and high school.
Education
Lucy attended Phillips Academy High School in downtown Chicago, where she excelled in her coursework and participated extensively in extracurricular activities. Some highlights of her high school career include:
- Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper
- Varsity cross country team captain
- Leading role in the school musicals freshman and senior year
- Founder and President of the debate club
In addition to her activities, Lucy graduated as valedictorian of her high school class in 2007 with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Known for being ambitious and hardworking, she took numerous Honors and AP courses:
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AP Courses: - AP Literature - AP US History - AP Calculus - AP Biology - AP French
With her stellar academic record and test scores, Lucy was accepted early decision to Yale University. She majored in Political Science and continued her trend of academic excellence throughout college. Lucy was published in the Yale Political Science Department’s undergraduate research journal – one of only six students chosen. She graduated summa cum laude in 2011 at the top of her class.
Early Career
After graduating from Yale, Lucy secured a competitive fellowship with the Congressional Research Service – a public policy research institute based in Washington D.C. She excelled in her role as a legislative policy analyst and published over a dozen reports on issues from immigration reform to financial regulation.
After two years with the CRS fellowship, Lucy decided to take a new role with a nonprofit advocacy and activism organization called Voices for Progress. As a senior policy analyst, she researched complex policy issues and translated her findings into actionable political and communications strategies. Her work focused primarily on voting rights, campaign finance reform, and equal access to education.
Recent Work
In 2018, Lucy decided to transition out of the nonprofit sector to focus more directly on electoral politics and campaigns. She moved back to Chicago and began working for the gubernatorial campaign of progressive candidate Sara Warner. As Deputy Campaign Manager, Lucy developed policy positions, craftedcampaign messaging and advertising, organized volunteers, oversaw fundraising, and represented the campaign in media appearances and public events.
The Warner campaign was ultimately successful, in large part thanks to Lucy’s leadership and political strategy skills. When Sara Warner assumed office as the Governor of Illinois in early 2019, she appointed Lucy to the key role of Chief of Staff. At only 30 years old, becoming the governor’s right-hand adviser was a major career achievement and demonstration of Lucy’s impressive talents.
In her current role as Chief of Staff, Lucy crafts policy proposals on the governor’s major initiatives, oversees the state bureaucracy to implement reforms and programs, and works extensively with the state legislature and lobbyists to enact the administration’s agenda. While the job requires long hours and high pressure decision-making, Lucy continues to thrive on developing innovative solutions and breaking down barriers to achieve progressive change. Many political commentators have speculated that Lucy may one day run for public office herself given her track record of success.
Personal Life
Despite her busy professional schedule throughout her twenties, Lucy made time to nurture meaningful personal relationships and give back to causes she cares about. She has been in a long-term relationship with her boyfriend Matt Davis since 2014 after being introduced by mutual friends from the Obama presidential campaign.
Lucy serves on the Board of Directors for two Chicago nonprofits – a college prep program for first generation students and an immigrant rights organization. She is also an avid runner who trains for half marathons in her limited spare time. With her natural curiosity and passion for exploration, Lucy also loves to travel internationally when work permits. She takes at least one major trip every year to experience new cultures and gain fresh perspectives on global issues.
Even as she approaches her mid-thirties, friends describe Lucy as remarkably humble given her professional influence and accomplishments to date. She is driven by a sense of purpose and desire to create pathways for advancement for those without privilege or status. Beyond every achievement on her resume is the understanding that there are greater pursuits which benefit humanity. It will be exciting to watch in the years and decades ahead what else Lucy Thomas will accomplish.
Conclusion
In summary, Lucy Thomas’ impressive career has already spanned public policy research, nonprofit advocacy, electoral campaigns, and serving in elected office. Having graduated at the top of her class at Phillips Academy High School and Yale University, Lucy has continued to demonstrate strong leadership, strategic thinking, and innovative policy development throughout her professional life.
While still only in her mid-thirties, Lucy has accomplished more than many people twice her age. From her current role as Chief of Staff to the Governor of Illinois, Lucy has the opportunity to continue enacting meaningful reforms to expand economic opportunity, voting rights, healthcare access, and beyond. Supporters and colleagues of Lucy fully expect that she has not yet reached the pinnacle of her career potential or public influence.
With her unique blend of intelligence, work ethic, communications skills, political strategy, and progressive values, there is no telling what Lucy may accomplish in the next 10 or 20 years. She is widely admired for her humility, integrity, and commitment to serving vulnerable and underrepresented communities. As new challenges arise for states and the nation in the 21st century, leaders like Lucy Thomas give hope that there are those working diligently to make positive change happen.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lucy Thomas
What high school did Lucy Thomas attend?
Lucy Thomas attended Phillips Academy High School in downtown Chicago. She was valedictorian of her graduating class in 2007.
Where did Lucy go to college?
Lucy majored in Political Science at Yale University, graduating summa cum laude at the top of her class in 2011.
What was Lucy’s first job after college?
After Yale, Lucy completed a two year public policy research fellowship with the Congressional Research Service in Washington D.C.
What nonprofit did Lucy work for early in her career?
Lucy worked as a senior policy analyst for Voices for Progress, a nonprofit focused on voting rights, campaign finance reform, and education access.
When did Lucy begin working in electoral politics and campaigns?
In 2018, Lucy moved back to Chicago to work on the gubernatorial campaign of Sara Warner as Deputy Campaign Manager. This launched her transition into electoral politics.
What is Lucy’s current job?
Lucy serves as Chief of Staff to Illinois Governor Sara Warner, who appointed Lucy after winning the election in 2019.