Gloria D. Thomas, president of Higher Education Resource Services (HERS), has received the 2026 Donna Shavlik Award from the American Council on Education (ACE). The annual award “recognizes an individual who has demonstrated a sustained commitment to advancing women in higher education through initiatives that enhance leadership and career development, improve campus climate, and foster mentoring.”
With more than two decades of higher education leadership experience, Dr. Thomas has spent the past five years as president of HERS, a leadership development and research organization that is dedicated to creating and sustaining a diverse network of women and gender-diverse leaders in higher education. The organization offers programs that support participants in various stages of their careers and serves as a hub for resources for leaders seeking to advance both themselves and their respective institutions of higher education.
Prior to her current role, Dr. Thomas was director of the Carolina Women’s Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Earlier, she served as executive director of the Center for the Education of Women at the University of Michigan and as an associate director at ACE, where she oversaw the ACE Fellows Program and the ACE Women’s Network.
“I am deeply honored to receive the 2026 Donna Shavlik Award,” said Dr. Thomas. “As a servant leader committed to advancing women and gender-diverse leaders in higher education, I have been profoundly shaped by the mentorship, vision, and courage of pioneers like Donna Shavlik, whose work created pathways for so many of us to lead. This recognition reflects not only my journey, but the collective efforts of the extraordinary colleagues, partners, and networks who sustain this work every day. I am especially grateful to the communities of the ACE Women’s Network and the HERS Network, whose dedication, collaboration, and belief in one another make meaningful change possible. I accept this award in recognition of all they have contributed and all we continue to build together.”
Dr. Thomas is a graduate of Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, where she double-majored in English and Black studies. She holds a master’s degree in English from Villanova University in Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Michigan.