Honoring an Educator

In her nearly 50 years at Bank of America, Geri Thomas (B.S. ’85) has forged a decorated and trailblazing career in human resources and executive leadership. But her decision to endow a scholarship at Georgia State University was largely informed by different roles essential to her character — those of working mother and daughter to a lifelong educator.

When Thomas enrolled at Georgia State in 1971, she was newly married and working part time at Citizens & Southern Bank, which later became part of Bank of America. After her first child was born, Thomas took time off from school and continued working while her husband furthered his education.

She returned to Georgia State 10 years later, after her two children had each begun school. It wasn’t until years after graduating, however, that Thomas embarked on what has become a long and impactful tenure of service to Georgia State.

“It was long after I graduated — sometime in the 1990s, I think — that Georgia State contacted me, asking me for help getting a list of names of Panther alumni at Bank of America,” Thomas said.

In the years since, Thomas has shared her decades of corporate leadership experience as a member of the advisory board for the J. Mack Robinson College of Business and the university Women’s Philanthropy Network. Since 2012, Thomas has served on the Board of Trustees for the Georgia State University Foundation.

Though her career has centered on human resources and the banking sector for more than 40 years, when Thomas decided to endow a scholarship at Georgia State, she knew she wanted to support students on a different path.

“My mother was a consummate educator, and neither my sister nor I wanted to go into education because we saw how hard she worked,” Thomas said. “When I had a chance to establish a scholarship, I wanted to carry on her legacy and what she stood for.”

Thomas’ mother, Vivian Ophelia Spence Perrimon, was a schoolteacher and member of numerous professional educators’ associations and community organizations. She joined Atlanta Public Schools in 1956 and was a classroom teacher until she retired on medical disability in 1977. Rejecting the designation of “retired teacher,” Perrimon continued for many years to tutor students free of charge.

The Vivian Ophelia Spence Perrimon Scholarship will provide support to juniors and seniors who are majoring in elementary school disciplines in the College of Education & Human Development. The recipient must be a working parent who is returning to school after having graduated from a public high school that has historically served high-need communities.

“This gift is a needed support to our early childhood and elementary education students who are balancing the demands of college along with the demands of work and family,” said Paul Alberto, dean of the College of Education & Human Development. “In addition to honoring the memory of Ms. Perrimon, it will have a lasting impact on the communities in which our students will teach and serve.”