Thomas Debass is currently serving as Chief Partnerships Officer at the U.S. Department of State, providing thought leadership on public private partnerships related to economic growth, sustainability, and innovation. He regularly gives keynotes and talks about the future of collaboration as well as the intersection of policy, business and society. Prior to his current role, he served as acting special representative for global partnerships and deputy special representative under four secretaries of state.

Thomas is also an adjunct faculty at the George Washington University School of Business and Virginia Tech Department of Economics. Prior to joining the U.S. Department of State, he was lead economist with the U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and a senior technical advisor with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Thomas is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a MA in Applied Economics and a BA in Economics. He also has an Executive Certificate in International Business Management from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, a Certificate in Executive Leadership from UC-Berkeley, and a Certificate in Futures Thinking and Strategic Foresight from the Institute for the Future.