BGT (Brittany Gail Thomas), DEIJ Coordinator (Leadership Team)

Brittany Gail Thomas (affectionately known by all as “BGT”) is a visionary leader, passionate advocate, nuanced thought-leader, and unapologetic champion for marginalized and minoritized communities. She is a wife, mom, friend, mentor, non-profit Founder & CEO, and Assistant Federal Public Defender who combines her passion for equity and true justice with her litigation, training, and administrative skills to manage it all.

BGT served indigent clients in her role as a public defender in three different jurisdictions. In her role as a public defender, BGT unapologetic champion for her clients and advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion, and fairness for all. After years as a public defender, BGT returned to her law school alma mater where she served as the Assistant Director of Student Competition Teams and as an Adjunct Professorial Lecturer. A champion for all students, BGT became a well-known professor, coach, and mentor. She also created a safe space for students of color as they navigated their transitions from law school to their careers as successful attorneys.

BGT returned to public defense work in 2021 as an Assistant Federal Public Defender. BGT is also the Founder & CEO of The Color of Excellence® (COE), a nonprofit membership organization that provides curated training and programming for both current and future attorneys of color to combat systematic oppression.

In 2020, BGT joined NAPD as a member and took on her first role in NAPD as the lead and a moderator of the Opening Doors and Pulling Up a Seat: Recruitment and Retention of Black Public Defenders webinar. She was later became the lead panelist at the 2022 Women’s Virtual Conference, and a trainer at the 2021 Women’s Virtual Conference. In July 2023, BGT proudly joined NAPD as it’s DEIJ Coordinator. It is through her creative vision and unapologetic advocacy that she has led both the DEIJ and Racial Justice Meetups, as well as multiple panels at NAPD conferences. BGT has also created and leads NAPD’s Racial Justice+ Committee, which focuses on keeping NAPD accountable and active in matters of race, diversity, equity, and inclusion. It is with her innovation that she leads NAPD’s renowned Racial Justice Conference and continues to push us all to do the work.