Eric D. Thomas
Youth Activist, Speaker, Author and Motivator
Renown speaker, educator, author, activist and minister, Eric Thomas has risen to national prominence by delivering highly energetic and heartfelt messages of hope, perseverance, upward mobility, and success in the midst of obstacles. His presentations have inspired people of all age groups and demographics to live up to their full potential and peak performance levels by breaking the cycles of unproductivity, defeatist mindsets, crime, hopelessness and despair that many face daily.Eric’s voice has been nationally recognized in voiceovers segments for professional teams and organizations such as the NBA, NFL, and the MLB to name a few. His thought provoking presentations have electrified audience’s ranging from Fortune 500 companies such as Quicken Loans, UPS, Nike, and Underarmour; professional athletic teams including but not limited to the New York Yankees, Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Tigers, and Miami Dolphins; collegiate programs and inner-city youth development agencies with the message of his own life’s struggles and the principles, insights and strategies he used to overcome them. Eric is no stranger to the ills that plague our communities as he was born in Chicago, IL and raised on the streets of Detroit, MI. His childhood and adolescent years were difficult, and his life struggles and personal identity issues were intensified because like so many, he did not establish a relationship with his biological father until his early thirties.
At the age of 16, defiant and hardheaded, Eric decided to leave home and drop out of school, choosing to live on the streets of Detroit and support himself through a life of theft, gambling and other illicit activities. By divine intervention at age 17, Eric met a pastor who saw him a young man with tremendous unrealized potential. As a result, their mentoring relationship was born which led Eric to complete his GED and to prepare for college.
While in college Eric started Break The Cycle I Dare You , (BTC) a non profit youth development and special event organization that focuses on developing programs for youth who have made bad choices and most often have had family, social, and academic struggles along with the lack of a father figure in their lives. Today, Eric is CEO of his consulting firm, Eric Thomas and Associates, LLC, where an emphasis is placed on education consulting, athletic development, and executive coaching. Through his leadership, the company has been able to service millions of people across the globe.
He is currently pursuing his PhD in Education Administration at Michigan State and serves as Senior Pastor of A Place of Change Ministries, Lansing Michigan. Eric’s representation of the merits of higher education coupled with his knowledge of the pains of the street inspires young people to break bad habits and reach for new levels of personal and spiritual achievement. Eric has lived a life of challenges and triumph but has found a way to break the cycle.
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