Charles Thomas
Immediate Past Board Chair
Charles Thomas, an artist, educator and entrepreneur, is the Charlotte Program Director for the Knight Foundation. In Charlotte the Knight Foundation focuses on building an equitable and inclusive city that attracts and retains diverse talent, promotes economic opportunity and fosters a culture of civic engagement. Previously, Charles was the Executive Director of Queen City Forward. As a social innovation accelerator and incubator, Queen City Forward’s mission is to unleash the potential of high growth, high impact social entrepreneurs in Charlotte. Charles is also a professional photographer and recently co-published a book of photography and stories with author Valaida Fullwood called GIVING BACK: A Tribute to Generations of African American Philanthropists.