Ray Thomas Jr., Esq. (PLS)

Ray joined the company on October 1, 2024. He is VP & Associate General Counsel at Strada Education Foundation (parent) and serves as the Chief Privacy Officer for CredLens (affiliate).

Over the past two decades, Ray has strategically covered the entire spectrum of the legal profession. His varied experience includes government, law firms, academia, trade associations, and corporations.

Just prior to joining Strada/CredLens, Ray spent 2+ years at Walmart/Sam’s Club serving as Director & Senior Counsel (Data Privacy & Emerging Technologies). During his 7+ years at IBM, Ray had various roles & responsibilities related to data privacy/protection & emerging technologies, including General Lawyer, Chief Procurement Privacy Officer, Head of Legal Academia – Global University Programs, and a 2-year assignment at the Watson IoT Global Headquarters in Munich, Germany.

Ray is a member of the Diversity in Privacy Section Advisory Board at the International Association of Privacy Professionals. He also served as Vice Chair – Data Protection Committee at the International Trademark Association.

As Adjunct Assistant Professor & Supervising Attorney at Howard University School of Law, Ray founded the Trademark Clinic which continues to operate under the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) – Law School Clinic Certification Program. While on assignment in Europe, he also served as Adjunct Professor (Information Privacy Law) for The George Washington University Law School’s summer program at the Munich Intellectual Property Law Center. Additionally, Ray serves on the advisory boards of the Technology Law & Policy Center at North Carolina Central University School of Law and the Center for Cybersecurity & Privacy Protection at Cleveland State University College of Law.

As a Special Government Employee on respective appointments by the Secretary of the United States: i) Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Ray serves as a member of the Data Privacy Integrity & Advisory Committee (Emerging Technologies Subcommittee) to advise the DHS Chief Privacy Officer; and ii) Department of Commerce, he served as a member of the Trademark Public Advisory Committee (International Subcommittee) to advise the USPTO Commissioner of Trademarks.

Ray is licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Texas, and Illinois. He holds a Master of Laws (LLM) from American University, Washington College of Law, a Juris Doctorate (JD) from Cleveland State University College of Law, and a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Criminal Justice from the State University of New York, College at Buffalo. He earned various credentials at the International Association of Privacy Professionals (FIP, CIPM, CIPP/United States, CIPP/Europe); most notably, Ray is a Board Certified-Privacy Law Specialist (PLS).