Dr. Joseph J. Thomas is the Lakefield Family Foundation Distinguished Military Professor of Leadership and Senior Fellow in the VADM James B. Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership. He is the past Director of the John A. Lejeune Leadership Institute, Marine Corps University. A retired Marine LtCol, his assignments included 1st and 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, 26 Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1, Assistant Professor of Naval Science at the University of Notre Dame, 6th Battalion Officer at the US Naval Academy, and Head of Training Management and Evaluation/ Senior Education Officer at Marine Corps Training and Education Command.
Joe is a graduate of Marine Corps Command and Staff College and a past recipient of the MajGen Merrit A. Edson Leadership Award, the Marine Corps Association Research and Writing Award, and the Col Donald Cook Distinguished Graduate Award of Command and Control Systems School. He is a former elected school board member and is involved in a variety of community services. His research interests involve the practical application of ethics, military culture, organizational climate, and the use of history, literature, and biography to impart leadership lessons.
The author of numerous articles on the subjects of command and control, military training and education, and leadership, his published books include, Leadership Education for Marines (UMI Press, 2000), Leadership Embodied ( The US Naval Institute Press, 2005, 2007), Naval Leadership Capstone (McGraw-Hill, 2006), Leadership Explored (AcademX, 2007), and Leadership and Ethics Discussion Guide for Marines (Marine Corps University, 2008). Joe's education includes an M.S.Sc. from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, a M.S.S. from the US Army War College, and Ph.D. from George Mason University. He is married to the former Jacqueline Augustine of Whitehall, Pennsylvania, and they have three sons Joseph Jr., Andrew, and Robert.
