Lori Thomas

Director of Championships and Human Resources

816.595.8118 | lthomas@naia.org

 

Lori Thomas started at the NAIA in 1998 as a Marketing Assistant and was quickly promoted through the ranks to her current position as Director of Championships and Human Resources. As Director of Championships, Lori oversees four championship event administrators, emerging sports, site selection and contracts for championship hosts, and budgets for coaches associations, councils and committees. She is the liaison to the Council of Athletics Administrators as well as the national office liaison to direct qualification.  Her responsibilities as Director of Human Resources includes oversight of the hiring process and interviewing for new positions, management of the internship program and administration of staff benefits.

Prior to joining the NAIA, Lori served as an assistant volleyball coach at Missouri State from 1993-96 and the University of Tulsa from 1996-98.

Born and raised in Kansas City, Lori began her post secondary education at Johnson County Community College. While at JCCC, Lori played volleyball and basketball and was recognized as a Junior College All-American in volleyball in 1988. She then went on to receive her Bachelor of Science in Business Management – Emphasis in Human Resources from Idaho State University in 1992. She played volleyball for the Bengals for two years and ended her student-athlete experience with basketball in her 5th year. Following graduation, Lori moved to Kieldrecht, Belgium to play professional volleyball for a year before starting her coaching career.  Lori was also a member of the Kansas City Lightning women’s professional volleyball team in 1996.

In 2003 Lori was inducted into both the National Junior College Athletics Association Hall of Fame and Johnson County Community College Hall of Fame for the sport of volleyball. She was inducted into Idaho State University’s Hall of Fame the next year for volleyball and basketball. A member of the NACDA Executive Committee and the Board of Directors for the United States – International University Sports Federation, Lori currently lives in Overland Park, KS with her husband Alan and their daughters Ava and Sophie.