Juan Thomas

In 1996, Juan Thomas earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois (UI) College of Law. That same year, he received a Master of Arts in Educational Policy Studies from UI’s College of Education. Prior to achieving these advanced degrees, Juan Thomas completed a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Atlanta's Morehouse College.

Juan Thomas has long maintained involvement in both career and community endeavors. He currently functions as National Secretary of the National Bar Association, a position he has held since 2009. Mr. Thomas also holds distinction as a Fellow for Leadership Greater Chicago and the American Bar Foundation and as a member of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. Past appointments include tenures as a Chairman of the National Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and a member of the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Board of Visitors.

In 2011, Juan Thomas announced his intentions to run for the U.S. House of Representatives for Illinois’ 11th Congressional District. Located in the southwestern suburbs of Chicago, the 11th District includes Aurora, Bolingbrook, Joliet, New Lenox, and Woodridge, among other cities. In representing his community, Mr. Thomas pledges to tackle the issues of economic growth and job creation and plans to revitalize downtown areas through small business support. Additionally, Juan Thomas expects that additional improvements, such as creating green spaces and stimulating new housing to build up existing neighborhoods, will follow. His backing of the American Jobs Act lends further support to this initiative.

Another of Juan Thomas' top priorities is the strengthening of his district’s education system. If elected, he wants to devote additional resources to public schools to enable them to hire top teachers, reduce class sizes, and employ the latest technology, providing children with a quality education. While in law school at the University of Illinois, Juan Thomas successfully ran for the West Aurora School Board, and every weekend he commuted 120 miles each way from Champaign to Aurora during the campaign. He became the youngest person ever elected to the West Aurora School Board at the age of 25, and in 1999 he was re-elected to the Board.

A lifelong resident of Aurora, Juan Thomas follows the Chicago Bears and Chicago Bulls professional sports teams. He also enjoys fantasy football and traveling. Other interests inc