Florida A&M University

Alonda Thomas serves as director of public relations at Howard University. Recently named among the 2020 Top Women in PR by PRNEWS, Thomas is responsible for the development and management of the communications and media relations strategies designed to enhance the university’s reputation and visibility locally, nationally and internationally. Under her leadership, the Office of University Communications was honored by the Public Relations Society of America and PR Week for outstanding crisis communications work and social engagement. Previously, she was named one of the “Top 25 African American PR Millennials to Watch” in the Huffington Post and 2019 Communicator of the Year by the Mid-Atlantic Black Public Relations Society, Thomas previously served as senior public relations manager at TV One. She was responsible for developing the publicity strategy for unscripted and scripted programming, including “Rickey Smiley For Real,” the award-winning docu-series “Unsung” and original movies such as “Downsized,” “Bobbi Kristina” and “When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story,” which became the network’s #1 premiere of all time. In 2016, Thomas served as a publicity consultant for Liquid Soul, an entertainment and sports marketing company in Atlanta, Ga., where she led the public relations strategy for a variety of clients, including ABC Network, CNN, Walt Disney Studios and Fox Searchlight. In 2013, Thomas served as director of media relations and interim chief communications officer at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) where she was responsible for the overall direction of the university’s media relations program, including managing the return of the Marching “100”. Hailing from Miami, Fla., Thomas attended the prestigious New World School of the Arts where she studied musical theater. She received her bachelor’s degree in public relations from FAMU and a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from Florida State University where she was a university fellow and taught public speaking. She resides in Hyattsville, Maryland.