When Ayana Thomas graduated from college, she thought she wanted to pursue a life of service in ministry.
She quickly realized God wasn’t calling her to pastoral ministry. Following graduate school, she dipped her toes into the corporate recruiting industry instead and discovered an interest in business operations. That experience led her to a nearly 12-year career at George Washington University managing business optimization for campus operations — while also working toward her second master’s and doctoral degree.
While there, Thomas developed a keen interest in sustainability in higher education. She was struck by how sustainability touches every aspect of university operations.
“Sustainability is a part of everything we do,” she said. “From the minute you get up, the power that you turn on, the water that you use, the food that you eat, the transportation that you take, the clothes that you wear, all those things have components of sustainability.”
When the opportunity to help lead Georgetown’s sustainability efforts came up in 2022, she leaped to the Hilltop.
Today, Thomas serves as the associate vice president of sustainable business operations. In her role, she oversees the integration of sustainability operations at Georgetown and leads the Office of Sustainability.
Thomas has had a hand in rapidly advancing sustainability efforts at Georgetown since joining in 2022. She worked quickly to reinstate inactive programs and to stand up new programs to enhance the culture of sustainability, including Sustainability 101, the university’s faculty and staff training. She also led the Office of Sustainability team to complete the university’s Laudato Si’ Action plan in 2024 and the university’s inaugural sustainability strategic plan in 2025. She continues to work collaboratively with campus partners across the university to implement the initiatives identified in these plans.
Most recently, she led efforts to install the first outdoor composting bins on the Hilltop, including bins by White Gravenor Hall, Lauinger Library, Hoya Harvest Garden and Epicurean. Thomas also serves as an adjunct professor in the Earth Commons Institute, teaching a peer leadership class for undergraduate students in the environment and sustainability major.
In her 16-year career in higher education, Thomas has found a love for helping young people realize their dreams and working in an environment that incubates ingenuity.
“It’s this hub of innovation and creativity that doesn’t exist anywhere else. You can’t do this in the government. You can’t do this in the religious sector. In corporate, you can do it, but it’s not the same – innovation doesn’t have the same flair there as it does in higher education,” Thomas said. “Georgetown really is a special and unique place.”
My intro to Jesuit education: I went to Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, because they had air conditioning, I could take my car as a freshman, and they had a five-year MBA program that I pursued. I didn’t understand what it meant for Xavier to be a Jesuit university until my first year there. There was something profound about the faculty and staff and their commitment to care for others through service that stuck with me. Once I got to Xavier, I stayed to explore community service opportunities. I didn’t return home in the summers until I graduated.
When I thought I would be in full-time ministry: From Xavier, I honestly thought I wanted to be a pastoral counselor. I love people. I went to Howard University School of Divinity to pursue a Master’s of Divinity. Within a year of being there, I was like, I absolutely am not a pastor. God did not call me to be a pastor. Let me figure out how else I can be of service to people.
Why I came to Georgetown: Xavier turned a switch on how to care for others and be mindful of others in a way I hadn’t been exposed to before. That’s definitely one of the things I love about being at Georgetown and all of the university’s values around cura personalis, but more importantly, our value to care for our common home. That’s what makes Georgetown stand out.
Why I love working in higher education: I don’t know that I would see myself doing anything else. I love this space of collaboration and innovation. It’s a dynamic space, different from any other industry I’ve worked in. Higher education is the place that makes the biggest difference. You have thousands of students who are here, curious about different passions. As faculty and staff, we find a way to make these ideas come to life.
At the core of who I am, I’m a teacher. My work in sustainability is a great way for me to teach members of our community how to manage their business in a sustainable, responsible way.
Why I love sustainability work: I believe you are a part of everything that you see. Sustainability is a part of everything we do. From the minute you get up, the power that you turn on, the water that you use, the food that you eat, the transportation that you take, the clothes that you wear, all those things have components of sustainability. There will always be areas of our academic and operations experience that can be more sustainable.
My vision for sustainability at Georgetown: Threefold. One is to continue to cultivate conversations among the Georgetown community related to sustainability. The second piece is for Georgetown to advance to a place of leadership in sustainability in higher education. And the third piece of that would be for us to be mindful of our impact on the community and the world at large.
My favorite sustainability feature on campus: There are so many. I would say 111 Massachusetts Ave. is a sustainable gem. There’s a sustainability walking tour specifically for 111 Massachusetts Ave., everything from the green roofs, to the universal composting, to the neat energy and water efficiency features. I am just so proud of the team that renovated the building sustainably and the ways in which the Office of Sustainability team has been able to support the sustainable operation of the buildings at the Capitol Campus.
How I live out sustainability in my own life: I take my reusable water bottle everywhere. I walk a lot to avoid driving as much as possible. I haven’t taken up biking yet, but that’s on my list of things to do. I hope to participate in BellRinger this year. Within our home, we practice many of the ways of being I preach about at work. It’s been an interesting opportunity to teach my family some of these things we’re talking to the university community about on a day-to-day basis.
How I’m trying to rediscover my hobbies: I’m in a period of discovery now that I’ve finished my doctoral degree and have a little bit more time to focus on myself and the things I enjoy. I enjoy reading and traveling. My kid is a junior in high school. She’s a competitive dancer, so we’ve been traveling for dance, but now we’re going to start traveling for college tours. It’ll be interesting to see all these other campuses and their sustainability features as we go.
