Amani Thomas
Director, Community Coalitions
Amani is an expert in community engagement, local advocacy, strategic planning, and external communications, having served in a variety of communications and advocacy roles.
As the daughter of career educators and a product of public schools in Memphis and on Chicago’s south side, Amani is painfully aware of how students of color and multilingual students and their families are often disadvantaged by systemic inequities and inefficiencies. Her personal insight and empathy serve as powerful motivators for the work she does and how she approaches engagement with leaders from different backgrounds and lived experiences.
Prior to TNTP, Amani worked with Stand for Children Tennessee in Memphis, which promotes educational equity through campaigns, endorsements, and partnerships, and a collective backbone organization in Dallas, The Commit Partnership. In these roles, she served as communications and community engagement manager, spearheading efforts to amplify the organizations’ voice, strategically deepening outreach with students and families, and developing community learning and leadership development opportunities. Her work at TNTP has spanned multiple teams and projects, including Community Coalitions, Policy and Advocacy, and The Village, and she supports the organization as a brand ambassador and member of the Staff Advisory Council.
I find every engagement with community leaders and partners invigorating. We share a passion for students and families, and the goal is to put more everyday people in the position to choose their outcomes and rewrite the story for generations to come.
Imali Ariyarathne, seventh-grade teacher at Langston Hughes Academy, introduces her students to the captivating world of science.
About TNTP
TNTP is the nation’s leading research, policy, and consulting organization dedicated to transforming America’s public education system, so that every generation thrives.
Today, we work side-by-side with educators, system leaders, and communities across 39 states and over 6,000 districts nationwide to reach ambitious goals for student success.
Yet the possibilities we imagine push far beyond the walls of school and the education field alone. We are catalyzing a movement across sectors to create multiple pathways for young people to achieve academic, economic, and social mobility.