Franklin Augustine Thomas (born May 27, 1934) is the head of the TFF Study Group, a nonprofit institution assisting development in South Africa, since 1996; Chairman, September 11 Fund since 2001.

Recent business experience: President and CEO of The Ford Foundation

Ford Foundation

The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....

 from 1979 until 1996;

Thomas was president and chief executive officer of Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation (a non profit community development corporation) from 1967–1977.

He served as Deputy Police Commissioner in Charge of Legal Matters for the New York City Police Department

New York City Police Department

The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...

 for two years, starting in 1965.

Thomas was named Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in 1964

He was attorney for the Federal Housing and Home Finance Agency in 1963. He graduated from Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

, where he was a star basketball player and team captain, and the Columbia Law School

Columbia Law School

Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...

 (the latter in 1963).

Other directorships: Citigroup Inc., Cummins

Cummins

Cummins Inc. is a Fortune 500 corporation that designs, manufactures, distributes and services engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission control and electrical power generation systems...

, Inc., Lucent Technologies

Lucent Technologies

Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc., originally Lucent Technologies, Inc. is a French-owned technology company composed of what was formerly AT&T Technologies, which included Western Electric and Bell Labs...

, Inc., Alcoa

Alcoa

Alcoa Inc. is the world's third largest producer of aluminum, behind Rio Tinto Alcan and Rusal. From its operational headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alcoa conducts operations in 31 countries...

 and PepsiCo, Inc.