Brook Thomas Launches Election Campaign to Make St. Joseph a “City for All”
Brook Thomas, a local social worker, is excited to be running for one of the three seats that will be opening up this Fall for the St. Joseph City Commission.
If elected, this would be Thomas’s first elected position in city government; however, taking on leadership roles is not a new endeavor for her. In 2015, Thomas served as the Mental Health Unit Director at two separate maximum security correctional facilities in the Illinois Department of Corrections. In this role, she oversaw twenty-one staff comprised of psychiatrists, mental health workers, and administrative staff. Thomas has also served as Secretary for the Human Trafficking Task Force of Southwest Michigan, as well as Board Chair for the OutCenter of Southwest Michigan. Within these roles she has planned community events, conducted educational trainings, and helped create organizational policies.
Thomas believes that St. Joseph should be a City for ALL so that people from all different backgrounds can work, live, and vacation here comfortably. Diversity and inclusivity is an important aspect to our economic livelihood and welcoming people from different backgrounds will keep our city growing and thriving.
A strong advocate for social justice, Thomas currently works in St. Joseph as a Forensic Interviewer at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Michigan. In this position, she not only serves to protect physically and sexually abused children, but also works very closely with a wide variety of community partners, including the Berrien County Prosecutor’s Office, local law enforcement, and the Department of Health and Human Services, among others. As City Commissioner, Thomas plans to utilize these skills of working within a multidisciplinary team by listening to and considering all viewpoints when making important decisions.
When not working towards social justice, Thomas is passionate about many outdoor activities including, running, biking, hiking, and boating, to name a few. Promoting physical activity, green spaces, and other outdoor events are an important part of her campaign.
Thomas received the Moody on the Market 40 Under 40 Award in 2019, as well as the Building Exceptional Services Together (BEST) Award from the Illinois Department of Corrections in 2015. She has been recognized as an honest, compassionate, and fair leader, and, with your support on August 3 and again on November 2, Brook Thomas plans to bring these qualities to the St. Joseph City Commission. To contact Brook, or support her campaign, you can follow her social media on Facebook: Brook Thomas for St. Joseph Commissioner; Instagram: @thomabro; or visit her website at www.BrookforSJCommissioner.com