Terri Thomas has lived in Cumberland County her entire life, and service to others has always been at the heart of who she is. From high school to today, her work has been guided by a commitment to serve the least of these and to ensure that every person is treated with dignity, compassion, and respect.

Terri Thomas is a native of Fayetteville, a graduate of EE Smith High School, and obtained her undergraduate degree from NC State. Terri spent most of her career in corporate America as an experienced buyer with companies such as Micron, Memorex Telex, John Deere, and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals (Pfizer). However, her dad's health began to decline, and she took on a caregiver role, which transformed her life. Terri left Wyeth in 2004 with a severance package to care for her father and obtained her Master's Degree in Gerontology from Oklahoma State University in 2009.

Terri became Executive Director of the Vision Resource Center (VRC) in February 2010. Terri is known for going above and beyond to help, advocate, and support the blind and visually impaired in her community through their life journey. Terri enjoys creating meaningful life experiences for the visually impaired, which does not limit them because they have little or no sight.

As a part of VRC, Terri takes pride in making a difference for those that need a voice, and she is driven by her motto, "True greatness in life is to choose to pursue significance over success," which is taken from 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life on Fire by
John O'Leary.