Thea Thomas Faulkner is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana and currently serves as the director of Partners in Education for Jackson Public Schools in Jackson, Mississippi. This department cultivates and supports the community, parent, and family engagement programs of the District. Her work is driven by a quote from James Baldwin which states, “These are our children, and we will profit by, or pay for, what they become.” This principle guides her commitment to enhancing the educational experience for all children, while changing the narrative surrounding public education.
In 2023, the MS Business Journal selected Ms. Faulkner as a Top Ten Finalist for the Businesswoman of the Year for the state of Mississippi. As a part of its Excellence of JPS initiative, Jackson Public Schools selected Faulkner as the 2022 District Leader of the Year.
Ms. Faulkner is a community advisory council member with the Junior League of Jackson and the volunteer executive director of the Lunch and Learn series with Women for Progress of MS. She is also a member of CityHeart Church, serving as a group leader for a women’s intergenerational weekly bible study.
She is a proud graduate of Dillard University and earned a professional certificate from the Else School of Management at Millsaps College. In 2019, Faulkner was selected as a W.K. Kellogg Community Leadership Network fellow, an 18-month fellowship program for local leaders to connect, grow, and lead transformational change on behalf of children, families, and communities. Faulkner is now a member of the Foundation’s Global Fellows Network. When asked how she’s doing, you’ll often hear her say, “God is keeping me, because He’s faithful like that!” Faulkner and her late husband are parents to three adult children. She is also the giggling “Honey” to three grandchildren!