Edwin M. Thomas is the CEO and a Trustee of the E.A. Morris Charitable Foundation (EAMCF), which carries on the philanthropic legacy of Mr. Edwin A. Morris, former Chairman of Blue Bell, Inc. from Greensboro, NC and a titan of American industry. In addition to his proud service on the boards of the EAMCF and the John Locke Foundation, Mr. Thomas is also a board Director and the Finance Committee Chair of the St. Peter’s Hospital Foundation in Charlotte, which offers financial aid to local organizations helping those in need of medical care, nutrition, and housing.
Thomas began his professional career as a commercial real estate broker and developer in both the public and private arenas during Charlotte’s boom of the late ‘90s and 2000s working for RJS Properties, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Development Corporation, and Merrifield Partners. Following a successful career in real estate, Mr. Thomas started a 15-year financial planning practice as a Advisor with Northwestern Mutual before transitioning full-time into non-profit.
Edwin, born in Greenville, NC and raised in Durham, is a graduate of Davidson College. After school he was lured out west by horses and the Rocky Mountains to work as a wrangler and live in such beautiful places as Telluride, CO and Seattle, WA. But he couldn’t stay away from the Old North State too long, so Edwin moved to Charlotte in 1997 where he helped raise two wonderful children and still resides. He is a member and former Senior Warden of the Vestry at The Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter, and, besides advancing freedom through the EAMCF, some of Edwin’s passions include all types of outdoor recreation, singing, dancing and listening to live music, and, especially, fellowship with family and friends.