Carlene Thomas
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)About Carlene
Carlene Thomas is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PPE.
She is also the CEO and founder of an educational consulting company, Carlene Thomas Consulting, that advocates for equity for multilingual learners (MLs) and specializes in support for bilingual education and English as a second language (ESL) programs. She holds a Masters degree in English Language Learning. Carlene currently advocates at the national level by serving as co-chair of the Membership Committee for the National Association for English Learner Program Administrators (NAELPA) and on the leadership team for the National Newcomer Network (NNN).
Throughout her career, Carlene has been able to impact MLs through multiple perspectives. After teaching as a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) professor at a university in Beijing, China, she returned to the states with a clear passion for MLs. In Texas, Carlene has worked in various roles including ESL teacher (in both elementary and secondary school settings), ESL curriculum writer, ML compliance coordinator, ESL director, regional ESL/migrant educational consultant, and the ESL Program Coordinator for the state of Texas.
In her work at the Texas Education Agency (TEA), Carlene developed extensive compliance guidance resources, program implementation and evaluation tools, training materials, and comprehensive guidance on instructional practices for MLs. She is dedicated to serving MLs and their families by promoting additive bilingualism within all programs for MLs. Furthermore, she is passionate about ensuring all families are equipped with intentional tools and resources that strengthen family systems and provide each child with the foundations needed for success.