Carole Copeland Thomas
In a time when divisions can deepen and misinformation spreads with ease, your organization deserves a speaker who brings clarity, courage, and connection to the stage. Carole Copeland Thomas is that voice.
An award-winning TEDx speaker, Carole has spent more than 30 years captivating audiences and transforming lives.
Empowered and Experienced Speaker
Carole Copeland Thomas has been impacting the world in a significant way for over thirty-eight years. Captivating audiences around the world since starting her business in 1987, Carole creates community as an internationally-recognized keynote speaker, thought leader, and cultural collaborator. She has spoken in nearly every state in the US and nine other countries, including England, Canada, Kenya, India, Guyana, Japan, El Salvador, South Africa, and Australia.
Carole recently presented her signature message on "Facing Fear" at the TEDx Waltham event in Waltham, Massachusetts. The speech is available to view on this profile or on the TEDx Channel on YouTube.
Outreach To Worldwide Issues
Her understanding of the global marketplace, as well as of current issues affecting working professionals and business leaders alike has made her a highly sought-after business consultant and speaker for many years. From speaking at organizations like The American Society of Association Executives, Destinations International, and The National Restaurant Association to interviewing international business experts, Carole uses her understanding of the dynamics of our shifting marketplace to empower leaders for change.
Born In Detroit
Detroit, Michigan, is Carole's birthplace, where she was born into a loving family: Gwendolyn Charleston Copeland, a lifelong educator who spoke multiple languages, and Wilson A. Copeland, an international businessman and a Tuskegee Airman during World War II. Carole and her brother, Attorney Wilson A. Copeland, II, were born at Burton Mercy Hospital, one of the Black hospitals operating in Detroit when Black physicians could not practice in White hospitals.
Multicultural Symposium Series
Carole is the founder of the Multicultural Symposium Series, a multi-year events initiative and online campaign developed to advance multicultural issues. Carole is an active blogger and social media strategist using various technology platforms to enhance her business development activities. Due to the worldwide pandemic, her November 2020 event was a Worldwide Multicultural Conference featuring 62 speakers from 12 countries on 6 of the 7 continents. As with the Virtual November 2021-2024 Multicultural Conferences, the upcoming November 2025 Multicultural Conference will reach a worldwide audience.
Podcast Host & Executive Coach
Carole is the host of "Conversations with Carole" a weekly podcast that connects culture with collaboration and communities around the world. I can be found on most of the podcast platforms, including Apple iHeart, and Spotify.
For three years Carole's Personal Empowerment Tips were heard daily on Boston's WILD 1090 AM Radio. Her one-hour call-in radio talk show, "Focus On Empowerment" was heard every Friday morning on the station. Carole's syndicated radio tips were broadcast in 10 US cities and were sponsored by Marshalls, the nationwide off-price retail store. Her radio talk show continued on WBNW-1120-AM-Boston through 2009. Carole served as the Executive Coach for the Essence Magazine Leadership Summit.
US UK Summit On Race
In 2021 Carole founded the US UK Summit on Race with three other colleagues in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The US UK Summit on Race explores the opportunities and strategic actions necessary to solve hatred and racial violence on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. To date 14 Virtual Events have been held, including the June 2025 Summit in tribute to Juneteenth in the United States and in tribute to the death of George Floyd.
Active In Community and Civic Affairs
Carole is the former Tri-State Social Action Eastern Region Coordinator for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She is the Chair of the Multicultural Committee for Meet Boston (formerly The Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau). A lifetime member of the National Black MBA Association, Carole served as Past President of the Boston Chapter and Past National Vice Chair of the organization. Carole was the Diversity and Inclusion Forum Chair for the Northeast Human Resources Association (NEHRA). She has been an active member of the National Speakers Association (NSA) for 30 years, serving in various leadership roles, including Past President of NSA New England.
Education
Carole graduated with honors in 1975 from Emory University. She entered graduate school in 1983 (on a Martin Luther King, Jr. academic fellowship), and received her MBA degree from Northeastern University in Boston.
She received her Certified Diversity Meeting Professional Designation (CDMP) from the International Association of Hispanic Meeting Professionals in 2011. Her most recent designation was awarded in 2015: Certified International Tour Manager, CITM, from the International Guide Academy. She tied as the top student of her graduating class.
Mother & Grandmother
Carole is the mother of three children: Dr. Lorna Thomas Farquharson (husband Jerome), Michelle Thomas Monteiro (husband Alberto), and the late Mickarl D. Thomas, Jr. She does her best to spoil her granddaughters Julianna Gwendolyn Farquharson and Gabrielle Jaeda Farquharson.
Carole lives in the greater Boston area.
Empowered and Experienced Speaker
Carole Copeland Thomas has been impacting the world in a significant way for over thirty-eight years. Captivating audiences around the world since starting her business in 1987, Carole creates community as an internationally-recognized keynote speaker, thought leader, and cultural collaborator. She has spoken in nearly every state in the US and nine other countries, including England, Canada, Kenya, India, Guyana, Japan, El Salvador, South Africa, and Australia.
Carole recently presented her signature message on "Facing Fear" at the TEDx Waltham event in Waltham, Massachusetts. The speech is available to view on this profile or on the TEDx Channel on YouTube.
Outreach To Worldwide Issues
Her understanding of the global marketplace, as well as of current issues affecting working professionals and business leaders alike has made her a highly sought-after business consultant and speaker for many years. From speaking at organizations like The American Society of Association Executives, Destinations International, and The National Restaurant Association to interviewing international business experts, Carole uses her understanding of the dynamics of our shifting marketplace to empower leaders for change.
Born In Detroit
Detroit, Michigan, is Carole's birthplace, where she was born into a loving family: Gwendolyn Charleston Copeland, a lifelong educator who spoke multiple languages, and Wilson A. Copeland, an international businessman and a Tuskegee Airman during World War II. Carole and her brother, Attorney Wilson A. Copeland, II, were born at Burton Mercy Hospital, one of the Black hospitals operating in Detroit when Black physicians could not practice in White hospitals.
Multicultural Symposium Series
Carole is the founder of the Multicultural Symposium Series, a multi-year events initiative and online campaign developed to advance multicultural issues. Carole is an active blogger and social media strategist using various technology platforms to enhance her business development activities. Due to the worldwide pandemic, her November 2020 event was a Worldwide Multicultural Conference featuring 62 speakers from 12 countries on 6 of the 7 continents. As with the Virtual November 2021-2024 Multicultural Conferences, the upcoming November 2025 Multicultural Conference will reach a worldwide audience.
Podcast Host & Executive Coach
Carole is the host of "Conversations with Carole" a weekly podcast that connects culture with collaboration and communities around the world. I can be found on most of the podcast platforms, including Apple iHeart, and Spotify.
For three years Carole's Personal Empowerment Tips were heard daily on Boston's WILD 1090 AM Radio. Her one-hour call-in radio talk show, "Focus On Empowerment" was heard every Friday morning on the station. Carole's syndicated radio tips were broadcast in 10 US cities and were sponsored by Marshalls, the nationwide off-price retail store. Her radio talk show continued on WBNW-1120-AM-Boston through 2009. Carole served as the Executive Coach for the Essence Magazine Leadership Summit.
US UK Summit On Race
In 2021 Carole founded the US UK Summit on Race with three other colleagues in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The US UK Summit on Race explores the opportunities and strategic actions necessary to solve hatred and racial violence on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. To date 14 Virtual Events have been held, including the June 2025 Summit in tribute to Juneteenth in the United States and in tribute to the death of George Floyd.
Active In Community and Civic Affairs
Carole is the former Tri-State Social Action Eastern Region Coordinator for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She is the Chair of the Multicultural Committee for Meet Boston (formerly The Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau). A lifetime member of the National Black MBA Association, Carole served as Past President of the Boston Chapter and Past National Vice Chair of the organization. Carole was the Diversity and Inclusion Forum Chair for the Northeast Human Resources Association (NEHRA). She has been an active member of the National Speakers Association (NSA) for 30 years, serving in various leadership roles, including Past President of NSA New England.
Education
Carole graduated with honors in 1975 from Emory University. She entered graduate school in 1983 (on a Martin Luther King, Jr. academic fellowship), and received her MBA degree from Northeastern University in Boston.
She received her Certified Diversity Meeting Professional Designation (CDMP) from the International Association of Hispanic Meeting Professionals in 2011. Her most recent designation was awarded in 2015: Certified International Tour Manager, CITM, from the International Guide Academy. She tied as the top student of her graduating class.
Mother & Grandmother
Carole is the mother of three children: Dr. Lorna Thomas Farquharson (husband Jerome), Michelle Thomas Monteiro (husband Alberto), and the late Mickarl D. Thomas, Jr. She does her best to spoil her granddaughters Julianna Gwendolyn Farquharson and Gabrielle Jaeda Farquharson.
Carole lives in the greater Boston area.
High Impact Global Diversity
Global Diversity and Multiculturalism are here to stay, and this highly interactive presentation navigates through the new opportunities available to enhance your organization's productivity through diversity and multiculturalism. Learn how the Internet can become the single biggest factor to advancing your company's diversity position. Understand how transformational rethinking will shape the next 25 years of your organization's growth and development. Find out how change can...
Habit Forming Diversity Dynamics
Transformational Self-Leadership
Ignite Women of Action: From Challenges To Achievement
9 recommend Carole
Post your own verified review when you hire this speaker through eSpeakers.
Madison Park Community Development Corporation
On-Site
D.I.T., Executive Director, Madison Park Community Development Corporation
Carole Copeland Thomas, to do the work that she does is truly an inspiration to our community and beyond.
NBMBAA
On-Site
I.N., Member, NBMBAA
It was the best session I attended the entire conference. Just the information, the feelings, just everything was so great about that session.
Author/Storyteller/Educator/Workshop Presenter
Virtual
M.J.G., Author, Author/Storyteller/Educator/Workshop Presenter
WOW! What a great session. You answered every last one of my questions. NOW I HAVE TO GET TO WORK!
BBEC -London
On-Site
K.S., Conference Coordinator, BBEC -London
Your perspective and energy added real depth to the conversation, and it’s wonderful to know you're sharing the momentum with your network back in the States.
Mattapan Community Health Center
On-Site
S.C., Director of Human Resources, Mattapan Community Health Center
Verified @matchc.orgFor those who don't know Carole Copeland Thomas, she is an excellent speaker, moderator, and trainer. She conducted our Cultural Diversity and Inclusion training that staff still talk about today.
National Speakers Association
On-Site
B.B., President Elect, National Speakers Association
Verified @barrybanther.comCarole Copeland Thomas was compelling, practical and persuasive...she blessed our chapter!
The Chafee Center for International Business Bryant University
On-Site
L.W., Assistant Director, The Chafee Center for International Business Bryant University
Verified @bryant.eduThank you to each of you for participating in World Trade Day yesterday! Wow - I think your session was the most popular one of the day! Not only was it an interesting topic, but it sounded like a fun one and I guess a lot of people agreed - your room was packed. Sorry we didn't give you a bigger space, but normally the afternoon sessions are not as well attended and we didn't want to have a half empty room. I heard from several people that the sessions was fun and interesting, which is always wonderful feedback! Without people like you, World Trade Day would not be the successful event that it is.
Boston University Medical Campus
On-Site
K.A.C.P.D.., Director, Center for Multicultural Mental Health, Boston University Medical Campus
I am writing this testimonial on behalf of Carole Copeland Thomas on our recent experience during a full-day retreat that she designed and led. I am Executive Director of the Massachusetts Marathon Bombing Victims/Survivors Resiliency Center (The Resiliency Center) on the Boston University Medical Campus. She conducted a retreat for my staff and for our collaborating partners on June 15, 2016. I can attest to Ms. Copeland Thomas's professionalism from the very beginning with the questions she asked, the information she requested, and her expertise in planning (both process and outcomes). She was referred to me by a respected colleague so I did not know her, although I knew of her, prior to our retreat. In my lengthy history of working with facilitators and consultants I can truly say that the work Ms. Copeland Thomas did for us is unsurpassed. More specifically, she was planful, organized, disciplined in her approach with a clear skill set and competencies to get the job done. There were strong personalities in the room, each with significant trauma knowledge and expertise. She was a virtual "maestro" enabling the different parts to blend together in a relevant and productive "symphony". Her facilitation enabled free sharing of ideas in a respectful atmosphere. Disagreements and difficult conversations were managed effectively. All participants were actively engaged in the process. She emphasized the importance of listening, again assuring all voices were heard. The structure of the conversation was broad enough to accommodate a wide -range of ideas. She modeled genuine caring for others and was able to create a "safe space" for the large group process. She tapped the wisdom and knowledge of each person and assured convergence of ideas and recommendations by the end of the session. I can truly say, after this experience, that Carole Copeland Thomas will be our facilitator/trainer/consultant for the future.
Roxbury Community College
On-Site
L.W., Vice President Advancement & Community Engagement, Roxbury Community College
Verified @rcc.mass.eduCarole knew what was on the line for me. We were thrilled with what she did!
Videos
Photos
Covers & Jackets
Podcasts
Member Of
Certifications & Awards
