Sylvia Thomas
Sylvia Thomas
  • Sport/Entity:
    Tiger Backer President
  • Year Inducted:
    2019
  • Category:
    Contributor

Bio

Sylvia Thomas, a long time contributor to Riverside City College Athletics, has been at the forefront of supporting RCC for numerous years. She has served as president of the Tiger Backers board for the past two years and is the epitome of what an RCC athletic contributor represents. She has coordinated and assisted with numerous events including the Tiger Backer Golf Tournament and the Tiger Backer membership drive. She has raised money and awareness for RCC Athletics and has focused on the needs of every program. Additionally, she founded the Thomas-Vallejo Scholarship which is awarded annually to a deserving RCC baseball player. The scholarship is designed to award a student-athlete who has excelled on the baseball team, achieved high academic success and has been accepted for transfer to a four-year university. Thomas left Colton Joint Unified School District as a tenured teacher in a reading demonstration program to join the RCC faculty in 1988.  She became a tenured faculty member in Reading and ESL before transitioning into administration.  In the ensuing years, Thomas became Dean of Moreno Valley Campus and was responsible for overseeing construction and building the academic program where she initiated the Middle College High School.  In her various administrative roles at RCC, Thomas was Dean of Instruction and Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs.  She assisted with the formation of the Early College High School at Rubidoux, the First Year Experience, and numerous programs that support student success. She went on to serve as the Associate Vice Chancellor of Educational Services and Interim Vice Chancellor of Human Resources and Diversity before retiring in 2016.  Thomas remains active as a consultant for the State Department of Mental Health and Rehabilitation. She serves on the selection committee for the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development and participates in the State Chancellor’s Office Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative. Thomas enjoys spending time with her son Aric, an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the University of Florida Gators softball team, his wife Julie and grandchildren Chloe and Brett.