Michelle Thomas enters her sixth year as Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball program, and first ad Director of Student-Athlete Development.
Thomas, a native of West Philadelphia, serves in a multi-faceted role that includes communicating with Academic Support, overseeing Hilferty Suite operations, social media branding and coordinating the schedule of Coach Lange. She is responsible for leading the program’s “DASH” meetings, which are a tool for promoting personal growth, maturity, and time management for team members. Thomas plays a key role in directing the team’s community service, including partnering with Assistant Coach Justin Scott to build the Hawk Hill Hoops Academy, an initiative that focuses on engagement and education through a diverse offering of clinics and seminars.
Coach Lange on Michelle:
“Michelle possesses a dynamic skill set that reaches our student-athletes, our staff, Hawk Hill, and our surrounding communities. Her gifts are supported by a relentless passion to develop and serve others. The positive energy she brings to Saint Joseph’s basketball makes us all better as people. She grew in so many ways during our first year and we will continue to be impacted by her intelligence and her heart.”
Thomas came to Hawk Hill after spending seven years in education including a position as a family/teacher coach at Agora Cyber Charter School. She worked closely with students and families who are enrolled in online, cyber classes full-time.
Promoted to Master Family Coach in 2015, Thomas facilitated solutions for student issues, strategically planned short and long-term academic goals for students and coordinated annual professional development workshops. She was also the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Coordinator for elementary schools and was also nominated to Coaches Think Tank Counsel in 2018.
Thomas has spent over a decade as a facilitator with Learn 2 Lead, a summer camp program for students ranging from elementary school through college. Additionally, she has served as Chief Operating Officer at Nxt Level Inc., organizing basketball skills training for multiple age groups at various facilities and was an integral part of the company's social media marketing campaigns.
Thomas attended Episcopal Academy when it was located on what is now Saint Joseph’s Maguire Campus. She graduated from Villanova University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and sociology, and a master's degree in criminology, law and society.
