Kimberly Thomas

Deputy District Engineer and Chief, Programs and Project Management

USACE Rock Island District
Published March 25, 2020

Kim Thomas became Deputy District Engineer and Chief, Programs and Project Management Division for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District in February 2020. She is responsible for leading and executing the District's missions, delivering a $300 million program annually, and performing business and strategic functions for the District.

Prior to this position, Thomas served as the Deputy Chief, Planning, Programs, and Project Management Division for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District. In this position, she led the delivery of a $1.5 billion program with the District's assigned missions in civil, military, environmental, and interagency and international services programs.

During her time as Deputy Chief, she also served as the Military Integration Division Chief who was responsible for the $2 billion military construction, environmental, interagency and international support, and facilities sustainment, restoration, & modernization programs within the Northwestern District, USACE.

Thomas served eight years as Chief, Emergency Management and has deployed numerous times in support of natural disasters serving as Mission Manager for both temporary roofing and housing missions for the 2004 Florida Hurricanes and 2005 Hurricane Katrina. She also served as the Lead Geotechnical Engineer for the Hurricane Protection Office in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina responsible for ensuring levee and floodgate projects for New Orleans were completed on time and within budget. Thomas was also involved in responding to flood events in 2009 in North and South Dakota, and flood events in Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri in 2010.  Most recently, she was responsible for directing the efforts for the historic 2011, record-setting flood events in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri that lasted more than 200 days and resulted in over $8 billion in damages prevented due to flood fight efforts. 

Thomas's educational background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and minors in Chemistry and Athletic Training from Midland Lutheran College in 1999 and Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Nebraska in 2002. She also earned a Masters Graduate Certificate in Engineering Management from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

In 2011, Thomas received the National Emergency Manager of the Year award in addition to numerous Superior Civilian and Commander’s Awards throughout her career. She is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Nebraska and enjoys outdoor activities including golfing, fishing, reading, traveling, spending time with her family, and attending college sporting events.