2012 NAACP DuPage County Branch Candidate Survey

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Chair: Rev. Theresa Dear
Co-chair: Juan Thomas
Co-chair: Kay Page

Rev. Theresa Dear: Rev. Theresa Dear is a Gold Life Member of the NAACP. She has been a national board member of the NAACP for the last six years. She held the statewide office of 1st Vice President and is the immediate past president of the DuPage County Branch and chair of the Political Action Committee. Rev. Dear is an ordained elder of DuPage A.M.E. Church in Lisle. Her professional accomplishments include founder and president of HR4NON-PROFITS, Inc., and founder of The Incubator Project. She is chairman of the board for Global Projects and she serves on several other boards. Rev. Dear is the author of two Christian books on leadership. She hopes to influence the actualization of One Nation, One Dream. Contact Rev. Theresa Dear at theresadear@hotmail.com.

Juan Thomas: Prior to running for the U.S. Congress in the 11th Congressional District of Illinois, Juan Thomas served his community for over 17 years, as a lawyer, small business owner, school board member, youth minister, and Township Clerk in his hometown of Aurora, IL (2nd largest City in the State of Illinois). Though unsuccessful in his Congressional campaign, Juan finished second with 25% of the vote and was endorsed by 22 Members of Congress during the March 2012 Illinois Democratic Primary.

In 2005, Juan was the first African-American to win a township-wide office in Aurora when he was elected Township Clerk. In 2009, he was re-elected Aurora Township Clerk with 57% of the vote receiving more votes than any other candidate seeking an Aurora Township office that year. Juan was the first Democrat ever to serve as Aurora Township Clerk.

While in law school, Juan successfully ran for the West Aurora School Board, commuting 120 miles each way from Champaign to Aurora on weekends during the campaign. At the age of 25, Juan became the youngest person ever elected to the West Aurora School Board and was re-elected to that Board in 1999.

Juan is the founder and owner of The Thomas Group in Aurora. His areas of practice include real estate/estate planning, governmental compliance, and family law. Prior to starting his own law practice, Juan served as Labor Counsel to Illinois Secretary of State, Jesse White, providing legal advice on labor and employment, and collective bargaining issues for the Office's approximately 4,000 employees. Juan has practiced in small and large law firms where he has gained broad knowledge and experience in labor and employment law affecting the private sector, state and local governments, as well as school districts within the State of Illinois.

Juan is currently serving in his second term as the National Secretary of the National Bar Association (NBA) and is a member of the NBA's Executive Committee. Juan has received Presidential Service Awards from the NBA in 2005, 2007, and 2009 for his contributions to the field of law and in 2011, was invited to become a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation because of his outstanding achievements in the profession. Juan also was awarded the American Bar Association Small Firm & Solo Practitioners Merit Award in 2005.

Locally, Juan serves as the Secretary of the Aurora Township Democratic Central Committee and is Chairman of the Community Action Committee for the Fox Valley Christian Ministerial Alliance. He has also served on the boards of numerous other community and civic organizations including the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, the Community Renewal Society (Chicago), the Board of Visitors for the University of Illinois College of Education, and the Fox Valley Girl Scouts Council. Juan is a 2004 Fellow of the Harvard Divinity School Summer Leadership Institute, a 2002 Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow, and a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Juan is a graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. He received his law degree and Masters in Educational Policy Studies degree from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. An ordained minister, Juan is currently completing a Master of Arts degree in Religious Studies at the University of Chicago Divinity School.

Juan is married to the former Angela Nichole Clay from Silver Spring, MD and they live in Aurora, IL.

Contact Juan at politicalaction@dupagecountynaacp.org.

Core Responsibilities

The Elected Officers of the Executive Committee

∗click on links below for more information

President – Mario L. Lambert II
1st Vice President – Bessie Smith
2nd Vice President – Cynthia Johnson

Secretary – Rose M. Madison
Treasurer – Robert Mathis
Executive Members at Large – Margret Childress, Marvin Byrd, Toby Fox, Joy Bowling, Lavon Thomas

Standing Committees

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ACT-So Program
Armed Services
Communications Committee
Corporate Membership Committee
Criminal Justice Committee
Diversity-Centered Leadership Training & Development Committee
Economic Development Committee
Education Committee
Finance Committee
Freedom Fund Events Committee
Health & Lifestyle Committee
Historian and Archivist Committee
Housing Committee

Labor & Industry
Legal Redress Committee
Life Members Chair
Media & Publicity Committee
Membership Committee
Political Action Committee
President's Advisory Committee
Religious Affairs Committee
Women in NAACP (WIN)
Young Black Male Mentoring & Advancement Committee
Youth Advisor ⁄ Youth Works
Youth Council
Youth Works & Youth Advancement Program