Staff

Ian Thomas, PhD

Ian Thomas, PhD

State and Local Program Director

Ian Thomas (he/him) is a veteran of the walkable communities movement. He served on the America Walks Board of Directors for seven years, until his appointment as our State and Local Program Director in September 2014.

In 2000, he co-founded the PedNet Coalition of Columbia, Missouri, and led the organization as its Executive Director for 13 years. Among several accomplishments, he coordinated the campaign to pass Columbia’s Complete Streets policy in 2004 – one of the earliest such policies in the U.S. From 2013 to 2022, Ian served as an elected member of the Columbia City Council, where he championed adoption of the city’s Vision Zero policy and launched several new community initiatives focused on health equity and sustainability.

Ian and his wife, Ellen, a pediatrician, now live in a cohousing community in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.