Following an intensive national search, Dr. Erin Vinoski Thomas was selected to lead the Center for Leadership in Disability (CLD) at Georgia State University. The CLD is one of 68 University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs) in the U.S., funded by the Administration for Community Living, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The CLD is situated in the Mark Chaffin Center for Healthy Development, a University Research Center housed in the School of Public Health.
”Erin’s prior role as CLD Associate Director, and more recently as Co-Interim Director throughout the past year of transition, underscores her dedication and leadership acumen. I look forward to her new role in leading the CLD into a bright and thriving future,” said Dr. Kathleen Baggett.
Dr. Vinoski Thomas is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy & Behavioral Sciences in the School of Public Health at Georgia State University. She joined the GSU School of Public Health and CLD in 2019 as a faculty member and was appointed as CLD's Associate Director in 2021. Her research and programmatic initiatives focus on promoting health equity for adults with disabilities. She has secured over $7 million in external funding since her appointment in 2019, including a $2.9 million cooperative agreement with CDC to lead Georgia's statewide disability and health program (2021-2026) and CLD's recently funded $3.2 million UCEDD grant (2024-2029).
"It is truly an honor to serve as CLD's Director," said Dr. Vinoski Thomas. "I look forward to working with our strong leadership team, staff, community advisory council, and partners within and outside the university to continue positively impacting the lives of Georgians with disabilities and their families."
