Kim Thomas serves as the deputy district engineer and chief of the Programs and Project Management Division for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, South Pacific Division. As the deputy district engineer, Thomas is responsible for the oversight of the LA District’s Civil Works, Military and Interagency and International Services programs.
Prior to this position, Thomas served as the chief of the Operations Division for the Corps’ Omaha District, Northwestern Division. As the Operations Division chief, she was responsible for leading and executing the operations, natural resource, regulatory and emergency management missions across 700,000-plus square miles.
Thomas served for four-and-a-half years as the senior civilian and chief of the Programs and Project Management Division for the Corps’ Rock Island District, Mississippi Valley Division, from February 2020 to June 2024. She was responsible for leading and delivering a $500-million program annually, as well as business and strategic functions for the district.
She served for eight years as the deputy chief of the Planning, Programs and Project Management Division for the Corps’ Omaha District, leading the delivery of the $1.5-billion program in Civil, Military, Environmental and IIS programs. During this time, she also served as the Military Integration Division chief, the key principle senior executive responsible for the $2-billion Military Construction, Environmental, Interagency and International Support and Facilities Sustainment, Restoration and Modernization programs.
Thomas served eight years as the chief of Emergency Management and has deployed numerous times in support of natural disasters. She also served as the lead geotechnical engineer for the Hurricane Protection Office in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, where she was responsible for ensuring levee and floodgate projects for New Orleans were completed on time and within budget. Additionally, she was responsible for directing the response to the historic flood events in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2019 that resulted in more than $8 billion in damages prevented due to flood-fight efforts.
She graduated from Midland Lutheran College in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and minors in chemistry and athletic training. She went on to attend the University of Nebraska in 2002, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering. Thomas has a master’s degree in engineering management from George Washington University in Washington D.C.
In 2011, she received the “National Emergency Manager of the Year” award, in addition to numerous Superior Civilian and Commander’s awards throughout her career.
Thomas is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Nebraska.