Lisa Thomas

Lisa Thomas is an experienced education and program coordination professional with a robust background in teaching and leadership. Currently serving as the Exchange Student Coordinator at PAX - Program of Academic Exchange since January 2019, Lisa recruits and supervises host families for high school exchange students from over 70 countries. Lisa also operates as a host on Airbnb and Furnished Finder, providing accommodations primarily to healthcare professionals and university instructors. Since 2012, Lisa has worked as a substitute teacher in preK-12 schools and has held various extra help positions at Southern Illinois University Carbondale since 2008, including serving as a Standardized Patient for medical programs. Additional roles include Spanish Instructor at Southern Illinois University, Leader/Mentor at The Nature Conservancy, and Spanish Course Developer & Instructor at Lingua Brava, LLC. With a solid foundation in linguistics and education, bolstered by master's degrees in Outdoor Recreation Management and Teaching Foreign Language and ESL, Lisa possesses a unique combination of skills aimed at fostering cross-cultural exchanges and educational development.