Duane Thomas, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist and a professional trainer, coach, and consultant for educators and service providers. He serves as a Specialist and Subject Matter Expert in trauma-informed practices for Akoben, LLC. He has over 20 years of experience providing direct mental health services to children, youth, and families and specializes in working with marginalized and underserved groups and communities.
He collaborates on research examining risk and cultural protective factors impacting the socioemotional functioning of urban African American children and youth; school contextual determinants for the development of student conduct problems; and the development and evaluation of culturally-responsive approaches to school violence prevention involving academic-community partnerships.
Prior to his present appointment, Dr. Thomas was a Training and Technical Assistance Specialist for the Mid-Atlantic PBIS Network at Sheppard Pratt Health Systems, an Assistant Scientist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and held faculty positions at the University of Virginia and the University of Pennsylvania. He has authored several articles in peer-refereed journals and consulted with various school districts, community-based organizations, public agencies, and businesses concerning the development and school mental health of African American children and youth.