Thomas Stith, III
District Director
U.S. Small Business Administration

Thomas A. Stith III was named District Director for the SBA North Carolina District Office in September 2019. As District Director, Thomas oversees an office that drives economic development by assisting local entrepreneurs start and grow businesses. He also directs the implementation of SBA programs related to accessing capital, business advising, and government contracts.

Thomas comes to the SBA from The Michael Thomas Group, a consulting firm he co-founded to advise clients seeking business development opportunities in the public and private sectors. He also worked with clients to improve their understanding of and ability to perform marketing, government relations, strategic planning, and internal assessment functions.

Thomas also recently served with Rivermont Capital where he was a senior advisor in the areas of investment, development opportunities, and investor relations. Immediately prior, he was the president of a state-of-the-art toxicology lab and health care consulting function at LJP Lab. In this position he had corporate responsibility for profit/loss, strategic planning, market development, operations, human resources, and state/federal relationships.

Thomas has also served as Chief of Staff to Governor Pat McCrory from 2013 to 2017 and as a City of Durham councilman from 1999 to 2007.

A native of Durham, North Carolina, Thomas is a graduate of North Carolina Central University holding a master’s and bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.