Established in 2002, the AUCD Gold Star Award is presented to a Capitol Hill staffer who exemplifies a true partnership in crafting strong public policy. This award recognizes the staffer for his/her professional and personal efforts to craft policy and implement programs with input from AUCD and the greater disability community, thus supporting AUCD in achieving its mission to advance policy and practice for and with people living with developmental and other disabilities, their families, and communities. The 2023 AUCD Gold Star was presented to Brad Thomas, Deputy Director of Education Policy during the AUCD 2023 Awards Ceremony on November 7, 2023
Established in 2002, the AUCD Gold Star Award is presented to a Capitol Hill staffer who exemplifies a true partnership in crafting strong public policy. This award recognizes the staffer for his/her professional and personal efforts to craft policy and implement programs with input from AUCD and the greater disability community, thus supporting AUCD in achieving its mission to advance policy and practice for and with people living with developmental and other disabilities, their families, and communities.
Brad Thomas, Deputy Director of Education Policy
U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce
Brad Thomas serves as Deputy Director of Education Policy for Chairwoman Virginia Foxx with the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, where he helps lead the education policy team. Brad has worked for the committee for a total of 16 years across two different stints, during which he has served as the Republican staff’s lead K-12 and disability education policy advisor. He has also worked on a variety of higher education and workforce development policy issues. In between his two stints on the Hill, Brad was Senior Vice President for Government Relations for Learning Ally, a non-profit organization that provides accessible instructional materials and other supports to students with disabilities. Brad graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Tennessee and a Master of Education from the University of Georgia.
