Terri Thomson: Mixing Business, Education & Family

"She comes with a solid business background and the ability to get things done. This could be useful on a school board that has been more an educational follower than a leader, more of a bickerer than a doer."
Those were the words of the New York Daily News editorial on July 1, the day Terri Thomson of Flushing was sworn in as the new Queens member of the New York City Board of Education. As if that was not a big enough responsibility for this 49-year-old mother of two, she has another full-time job — vice president of Citibank.
"She definitely knows how to get things done without being abrasive," said Congressman Gary Ackerman. He should know. For ten years, Thomson was Ackerman’s district office manager and assistant, handling and hiring staff as well as constituent problems for the sprawling congressional district.
In 1990, Margaret "Peg" Swezey, the first woman to rise into a top executive position at Citibank (as well as the first female president of the Queens Chamber of Commerce) was retiring after a legendary and groundbreaking career in Queens business and civic affairs. When she looked for someone to fill her shoes, she knew exactly who could do the demanding job of handling community and government relations for one of the largest banking corporations in the world — Terri Thomson. Swazy had observed Thomson’s talents from the Queens Chamber’s activities and soon Thomson’s life took on a whole new dimension when she became a vice president of Citibank.
Her work at Citibank over the past decade has made her a true leader in the business community, but if people stereotype females who successfully break through the so-called "glass ceiling" they should just meet Terri Thomson. A Queens civic leader who has known Thomson for 20 years since the days when she was a housewife who was rearing her two daughter in her Electchester apartment with her husband Ed, an electrician. "She has the rarest combination of great qualities I have ever seen. She was always cheerful, helpful to others, a hard worker who even when she went up in the world, never looked for fame or praise. If anyone deserves success its Terri because she’ll do an outstanding job, but it never goes to her head."
The Rev. Floyd Flake, the former Congressman, recalls a time when Citibank planned to replace the tellers at its Rochdale branch with bank machines. "When Ms. Thomson learned that older people in the area were terrified of entrusting their savings to that technology, she prevailed on the bank to install a customer service rep to guide them through the machines," Flake said adding, "That kind of flexibility will be very helpful as a member of the Board of Ed. where people can be very intractable."
It was her ability to work amicably with people of different views and get things done that made Borough President Claire Shulman appoint her to the critical position on the central board of Ed. "In the end, education is really all about jobs. When it comes to knowing what companies are looking for, I think my background will be an asset," Thomson said.
Its been a long way from the streets of her youth to the gleaming Citicorp tower and the pinnacles of both business and education in the City. But as Ackerman said, "while she surely will get things done, she will always hold true to her personal beliefs."