DR. THELMA T. DALEY, NAACP

DR. THELMA T. DALEY
The World Is As Big As You Make It
A L E A D E R A M O N G S T L E A D E R S

. . .during these trying times amid the
calls for social justice, we must all do
our part and to help secure the rights
afforded to us as African Americans
because it seems as if we are just
going backward with things that
we’ve already fought against.
So we all have to do more and we all
have to lead.
Thelma Thomas Daley

Who is
Thelma Thomas Daley
Thelma Thomas Daley, known as "TT" by many,
was born on June 17th in Anne Arundel County
outside of Annapolis, Maryland to Richard Thomas
and Hattie Randall Thomas, as the second of six
children. She recalls her parents met at a social
event as youth.
Her mother was industrious, a quality Daley picked
up. Her mother was a talented craftswoman and
excellent cook and winemaker. Her father
graduated from Lincoln University in Oxford,
Pennsylvania and was in the trucking business
before starting his own bus company, Thomas
Motor Tours. Her father’s charter bus company
expanded in order to transport Black school
children in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.
Daley's maternal great-grandmother was a
Cherokee Indian and maternal grandfather owned
a large farm around 100 acres in Anne Arundel
County.
Also land owners, Daley’s paternal grandparents
were Mary Martha Brown Thomas and John H.
Thomas. Her grandfather was a funeral director and
minister; her grandmother was a homemaker and
Sunday school teacher. Both sides of her family
were United Methodists.

Daley sold vegetables at her family’s roadside ​
market stand as a young girl which gave her
business and people skills. Her family took small
“road” trips to places like Washington, D.C. where
they visited museums.
She has fond memories of her grade school years at
Lothian Elementary School and at Bates High
School in Annapolis, Maryland where she had
perfect attendance and excelled academically with
math as her favorite subject. Always a lover of
poetry, “The Bridge Builder” is one of her favorites.
Daley decided to attend Bowie State College in
Bowie, Maryland because her family could not
afford to send her to Hampton Institute in Virginia.
Graduating at age nineteen with her B.S. degree,
she continued her education at New York
University, earning her M.A. in counseling and
personnel administration. She recalled some of her
professors at NYU, including Milton Schwebel and
Henry Borow, who she believes did not encourage
her to pursue a doctorate because of racism and
sexism. Despite their lack of support, Daley earned
her Ed.D. in counseling from George Washington
University in Washington, D.C. in 1985.
Dr. Daley married Guilbert Daley, who she met at a
Pan-Hellenic Council conference. Dr. Guilbert Daley
was the Professor Emeritus of Speech and Theatre
who retired from Coppin State College in 1996
after more than 30 years of service to the College.
He joined the Coppin State College faculty in 1962

as an Assistant Professor of English and Speech
and as Director of Theater. When the English
major was instituted, Daley developed new
courses in literature, speech, and drama, including
Shakespeare and Advanced English
Grammar; he was a Shakespearian scholar. In
1973, he became chairman of the newly established
Speech Theatre Department. A campus
residence hall is named in his honor, Guilbert A.
Daley Residence Hall and the Guilbert A. Daley
Endowment for the Dramatics Arts and Speech
Communications Award was established to be
awarded to a junior student with outstanding
ability in Dramatic or Communications Art with
a commitment to the field.
A member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.,
Daley was the past Director of the Eastern
Region; Editor in Chief of “The Crescent
Magazine;" International Director of Education;
and a member of the Distinguished Service
Chapter. Dr. Dailey took pride in being a part of
the 100 Black Men of Maryland and the
Connecting Links. It was through these public
service arms that he funneled his undaunted
service to youth and to the community. For
several years, he chaired the William Dorsey
Scholarship Fund, directing scholarships to
predominantly Black colleges of Maryland.
Dr. Guilbert Daley passed away in 1999. Despite
this loss of the love of her life, Dr. Daley pressed
on to do the work needed to better our society.
TOP: Dr. Daley with Freeman Hrabowski III, President of the
University of Maryland, Baltimore County as he receives the
King Legacy Award for National Service.
BOTTOM: Hilary Clinton; Jesse Jackson; Alexis Herman.

Dr. Thelma Thomas Daley is a distinguished
counselor-educator and administrator, a national
certified counselor, and an American Counseling
Association Fellow. Her professional career began at
the Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS), serving
as the coordinator for guidance and counseling
services where she directed the counseling program
for the 163 County schools. Each year, BCPS hosts
the Thelma T. Daley Counseling Institute Summit.
Her advocacy for equity and excellence has been
exemplified in her many national, state, and local
roles. At Loyola University (MD), she served as
Assistant Professor in the Graduate School and
Coordinator of Clinical Experiences. She has also
served as an adjunct professor at her Alma Mater,
George Washington University. She served as an
instructor at the Harvard University Summer
Institute for Counselors. She has also served as a
visiting professor at North Central Western Maryland
College and the University of Wisconsin. She was
appointed to the National Advisory Council on
Career Education under the aegis of The Secretary
of Education (USOE) and became the first woman
to chair The Council.
TOP: Dr. Daley with Gail Evans and India Artis at a Freddie
Gray Protest Rally in Baltimore. (2015)
BOTTOM: Dr. Daley with Father Donald Sterling, New All
Saints Catholic Church, at the NAACP Centennial
Convention in New York. (2009)
Daley has been active with a wide number of
organizations over the years, beginning with her
sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., which she
pledged through the graduate chapter at New York
University. Delta past president and chair of the
National Council of Negro Women, Dorothy Height,
became a close friend, confidant and mentor.

She served Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. as
the national treasurer from 1963-1967 and
national vice president in 1971. In 1975, she
became the 16th national president, holding
the position for four years. As president of Delta
Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Daley was exposed to
extraordinary opportunities one of which was
attending the funeral of Fannie Lou Hamer.
Hamer was a women's and civil rights activist
who was the co-founder and vice-chair of the
Freedom Democratic Party which she
represented at the 1964 Democratic National
Convention in Atlantic City. Daley met Hamer in
Mississippi when she established the Pig Bank.
Daley served as the first African American
president of the American School Counselor
Association (1971-1972), representing the
multitude of school counselors in the United
States. Later, she broke racial barriers when she
became president of the American Counseling
Association (the largest counseling association
in the world), international in scope and
representing a wide variety of counseling
groups. She served as president of Women In
Community Service (WICS); a coalition of the
National Council of Jewish Women; National
Council of Catholic Women; Church Women
United; the Hispanic Women; and the National
Council of Negro Women.
As a leader in the counseling field, Dr. Daley
worked to combat racism and sexism and
WOMAN'S MARCH 2017, Washington, DC
TOP: Dr. Daley with Ernest Coverson, former NAACP staffer.

effect change. She also served on the American
Counseling Test (ACT) Advisory Board and has
served on the board of directors of the National
Testing Service. She was appointed to the National
Advisory Council on Career Education under the
aegis of The Secretary of Education (USOE) and
became the first woman to chair The Council.
TOP: Dr. Daley with Dr. Rose Blackburne at the 80th birthday
celebration for former Foundation Trustee and Chairman &
Publisher of "The Crisis" Justice Laura Blackburne.
BOTTOM: Dr. Daley at the dedication of the suffragist
memorial by the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial
Association. (May 2021)
Other board affiliations include: Trustee, The
College Board; Trustee, The Education Testing
Service (ETS); Advisory Committee, American
Testing Association (ACT); The Good Shepherd
Center (Residential Treatment Center for Youth);
The Saint Agnes Ascension Hospital; The Carrollton
Bank; National Coalition of 100 Black Women; The
National Peer Helper Association; Current
Commissioner, Baltimore Engineering
Architectural Commission The Civic Design
Commission; The Seton Institute; and The Links,
Inc., one of the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer
service organizations of women committed to
enriching, sustaining and ensuring the culture and
economic survival of African Americans and other
persons of African ancestry, where she served as
national project director. She has appeared in
“Who's Who Among Black Americans” and has
been active with the United Negro College Fund.
Dr. Daley has served as the vice chair of The
National Council of Negro Women and in February

2022 was appointed President and Chairman
after the resignation of Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole.
Since 1997, Dr. Thelma Thomas Daley has served
as director of Women in the NAACP (WIN) when
appointed by former NAACP President and CEO
Kweisi Mfume.
Under her leadership, WIN has built schools in
Benin; promoted knowledge of Sudden Infant
Death Syndrome (SIDS) and AIDS prevention
within the African American community;
instituted financial literacy training; coordinated
voter education and registration campaigns;
provided food to Africa during the Ebola
outbreak; aided women transitioning from prison
to the community; established self- development
groups for girls; and adopted homeless shelters.
Daley is a long-term congregant of New All
Saints Catholic Church where she shares a
special friendship with Father Donald Sterling
who in 1974 was ordained as the first African
American priest in the Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of Baltimore.
A fashion plate and lover of gourmet foods and
cooking, Daley also enjoys traveling and
mentoring women of all ages.
Dr. Thelma Thomas Daley shares her gifts with
all.
"The World Is As Big As You Make It"
TOP: Dr. Daley with the Honorable Dorothy Height, NCNW.
BOTTOM: Years before the student lunch counter student sitin
in North Carolina, students from Morgan State sat-in at the
Reads Drug Store in downtown Baltimore.

Women In NAACP, WIN, is documented in the NAACP Bylaws as a bon fide “Committee” of the Association as
of 2014. Dr. Daley has been the Director of WIN since 1997.
It was Mrs. Frances Hooks, wife of NAACP Executive Director Rev. Dr. Benjamin Lawson Hooks and Ms. Earlene
Bolin, NAACP Director of Human Resources, who initiated the idea of WIN. They were propelled by the
struggles women faced after environmental disasters and were cognizant of the nurturing nature of women,
always ready to help even if resources are limited. WIN has responded to numerous disasters, however,
concurrently, under the direction of Dr. Thelma Thomas Daley, WIN has broadened its programmatic thrust.
Under Daley's leadership, internationally, WIN built two very schools in Yawa and Hetin, Benin, a major NAACP
effort to help Africans build a stronger community and enhance educational opportunities for their children.
The WIN schools are not just a place for the education to take place, but they also provide a space of brick and
mortar for the community activities.
Daley stated: “This international effort impacted a community that has been void of any educational institution
within a radius of 15 miles. This humble effort now allows children in the elementary grades to attend school
within their village and not be endangered by walking miles each morning to receive a basic fundamental
education.”
Benin Ambassador Cyrille S. Oguin, said: “I don't know if WIN measures its own value the impact of their action
in Yawa. The school not only fills a gap which has been there too long, but above all it appears as the cement
of unity and the symbol of reconciliation between the people of Yawa who need it so strongly; many thanks to
you all.”
In partnership with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), WIN executed an intensive Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome (SIDS) awareness program across the regions. This awareness program was a cooperative program
in conjunction with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the Coalition of 100 Black Women.
Additionally, on the international front, WIN answered the call of the Ambassador of Liberia during the horrific
outbreak of Ebola and provided non- perishable food as requested.
WIN has sponsored HIV-AIDS conferences; provided financial literacy workshops for women and girls; aided
women transitioning from prison to the community; addressed women’s health issues; established selfdevelopment
groups for girls, adopted homeless shelters and coordinated voter awareness and registration
campaigns.

Thelma Thomas Daley
Interview Date: July 22, 2003
Profession Category: Education Makers
Occupation(s):
Social Activist
School Counselor
Foundation Executive
Education Chief Executive
Birthplace: Annapolis, MD
Born: June 17
Favorite Color: Hot Pink, Tangerine
Favorite Food: Seafood
Favorite Time of Year: Spring, Winter
Favorite Vacation Spot: Beaches
Favorite Quote:
"The World Is As Big As You Make It"

The many
expressions of
THELMA
THOMAS
DALEY

Poem favorites of Thelma Thomas Daley
The Bridge Builder
An old man going a lone highway
Came at the evening, cold and grey,
To a chasm and deep and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
The sullen stream had no fear for him;
But he turned, when safe on the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.
"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim, near,
"You are wasting strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again will pass this way;
You've crossed the chasm, deep and wide-
Why build you this bridge at the evening tide?"
The builder lifted his old gray head:
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followeth after me today,
A youth, whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm, that has been naught to me,
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building this bridge for him."
Your World
Your world is as big as you make it
I know, for I used to abide
In the narrowest nest in a corner
My wings pressing close to my side
But I sighted the distant horizon
Where the sky-line encircled the sea
And I throbbed with a burning desire
To travel this immensity.
I battered the cordons around me
And cradled my wings on the breeze
Then soared to the uttermost reaches
with rapture, with power, with ease!
Georgia Douglas Johnson
Will Allen Dromgoole

Former NAACP President/CEO
Kweisi Mfume's Campaign for
Congress in 2019.
Dr. Daley with Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn
Mosby.
Dr. Daley with Tiffany McMillan Mfume, wife of
Congressman Kweisi Mfume and granddaughter
of Enolia McMillan, first female
National President of the NAACP and President,
NAACP Baltimore Branch.

...ever the fashion plate!

...ever the fashion plate!

Most of my organizations are
women's rights, but when we are
fighting for the woman, we are
fighting for the family. You are also
elevating the man and certainly
paving a way for the children.
Thelma Thomas Daley

From
December 2005
Doing the
work of
the
NAACP.

NAACP marks National
Women and Girls HIV/AIDS
Awareness Day in Baltimore
March 9, 2012.
Meredith Cohn
Saturday marks the seventh
annual National Women and
Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness
Day and the NAACP is
hosting a public lunch and
panel discussion at Coppin
State University.
Darriell Anderson, “Voice of Youth” Speaker, shares
her emotional story of triumph in the face of
adversity and receives a recognition award from
NAACP WIN Director Dr. Thelma T. Daley at the
2016 NAACP Convention.

Dr. Thelma Thomas Daley, National
Director of Women in NAACP (WIN),
reflects on attending the first March on
Washington fifty years before for a
Wells Fargo video production (Photo
courtesy of Chris Carter Norseman
Photography)
Dr. Daley with former NAACP Chief of
Programs John Johnson at NAACP
Staff Retreat. (December 2021)

Staff Retreat-December 2021
Bridge building to build team collaboration.

NC NAACP celebrates International Women's Day 2021.

Former NAACP staff show up to support Congressman Kweisi Mfume: Adrienne Carver; Lynn Smith; Dawn Chase;
Andrea B. Gee; Reggie Torran; Thelma T. Daley; Kweisi Mfume; India Artis; Chantel Clea.

2017: Dr. Daley along with current and former NAACP staff show up for former NAACP President & CEO
Benjamin Jealous' who announced his run for Maryland governor.

From

Celebrating Women's History Month at NAACP headquarters.

At the start of the 2006 NAACP Convention, a delegation
traveled by historical trains to Harpers Ferry, WVA to lay the
great tablet by W.E.B. Du Bois that was denied 75 years earlier.
Dr. Daley with former NAACP President/CEO Bruce Gordon.
Dr. Daley with NAACP staffers Andrea Gee and India Artis and Jane
White Viazzi (red), daughter of Walter White, former NAACP Executive
Secretary.

Dr. Daley with Shavon Arline-Bradley.
(NAACP Convention 2017)
Election Night 2016 at NAACP headquarters: Dr. Daley with Andrea Gee.

served as the
16th President of
Delta Sigma Theta, Inc.
1975-1979; she also served as
interim Regional Director, South
Atlantic Region (1966-1967);
President, Raleigh Alumnae (1961-
1962; National Treasurer;
Vice President

Dr. Thelma Thomas Daley, Past President, Delta Sigma
Theta Sorority, Inc. poses with a statue of Mary Church
Terrell, an honorary member of the sorority and cofounder
of the NAACP. She was instrumental in
Delta's first public act participating in one of the
largest Women's Suffrage Marches of the time. The
Sorority contributed $100,000 to the Memorial’s $2.7
million dollar funding.

Dr. Daley's Delta Work...
The Fortitude sculpture established on campus at Howard University dedicated to the 22
founders (1979) represents courage, hope, wisdom, and strength
Established the Distinguished Professor Endowed Chair (1977) which provides support for
Black colleges and universities through a grant for a professor of distinction of a two year
period, 1st recipient-Tuskegee University
Re-Affirmation of Delta's Five Point Programmatic Thrust
Emphasized establishment of Delta Life Development Centers- housing for the elderly,
facilities for programs for youth and community organizations, and to improve the quality of
life for all our citizens from early childhood through the senior years
Teen Lift program was de-centralized, chapters began conducting local Teen-Lifts making it
more accessible to youths
Development of the Women's Equity Training and Assessment Project
Contributed $35,000 to the NAACP to fight against economic distress and for securing
equal rights
Blueprint for Action, a five-year plan aimed at public service and at improving the quality of
life of Black women
Members of Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority, Inc.: Dr. Ruth Taylor; Bertha
Pitts Campbelle; Thelma T. Daley;
Oceola Mccarthy; Cinona Cargile
Alexander; Grace White Ware; and Elsie
Cook cutting a ribbon at Howard
University, Washington DC. (1974)

January 29, 2015
Loretta Lynch hearing: Why all those
red suits in the crowd?
Jacquelin Martin/AP
Women of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc. show support for attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch
at her confirmation hearing.

July 1977
September 22, 1977
March 26, 2007

June 9, 1977

August 19, 2013
As I witness the struggles still facing women and
children and the entire black family, I know that we
must all continue to be fueled and refueled to fight
for justice. Dr. Height opened the gate; I and many
others must keep it ajar. We must raise our voices
and hands to let freedom ring.

February 9, 2022
THELMA THOMAS DALEY
In accordance with NCNW’s policies, Dr. Thelma T. Daley will assume the role of
President and Chair of the Board of NCNW until the organization’s bi-annual
national elections occur later this year. Soror Daley, Delta’s 16th National
President, currently serves as one of the Vice-Chairs of NCNW and has been an
active member of the organization for many years.

20014 Uncommon Height Award Honorees: Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.); Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice; and Lori
Billingsley.

DR. THELMA T. DALEY
First African American
President
I didn’t run because I was a woman. I didn’t run
because I was an African American.
I did [however] realize then that I was knocking
down walls so others could walk through no
matter what shape or size they were.
Dr. Thelma Thomas Daley was the American Counseling Association’s (ACA) third female and
first African American president. She is a well-known and noble leader throughout the
Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. She has served in many leadership positions in ACA, and
been president of four prominent organizations including being the first African American to
serve as president of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) in 1971. Currently, she is
very active in her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., as well as the NAACP and the
National Council of Negro Women.
Her presence and devotion to the profession have paved the way for many who otherwise may
not have been considered for leadership: African Americans; women; the underserved, etc. In
fact, when she was the president-elect of ASCA, her actions in an American Personnel and
Guidance Association (APGA; now ACA) delegate meeting, made way for Dr. Willie Williams to
make the initial steps toward forming the Association for Non-White Concerns, which is now
known as the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development. When recounting the
event in an interview, Dr. Daley said, “This became an important moment in history for the voice
of the voiceless... you see?

DR. THELMA T. DALEY
First African American
President

DR. THELMA T. DALEY
First African American
President

DR. THELMA T. DALEY
First African American
President
National
President of
the American
School
Counseling
Association
from
1971 to 1972

LINKS, Inc. 70th Anniversary Gala (2018): Dr. Daley
with Janice Harbowski, retired T. Rowe Price Vice
President of Community Involvement.

RESOLUTION
(To be presented)
Whereas, Dr. Thelma Thomas Daley for decades has exemplified commitment, leadership, perseverance and passion for the advocacy of civil and human
rights for all, providing mentorship, guidance and care for all women, and has given tirelessly to the community of Baltimore, the state of Maryland and our
nation;
Whereas, Dr. Thelma Thomas Daley serves as the National President and Chair of the National Council of Negro Women, where she has dedicated herself
to its mission to advance the opportunities and quality of life for African American woman, their families and communities;
Whereas, Dr. Thelma Thomas Daley served as the first African American President of the American Counseling Association, the world's largest Association
exclusively representing professional counselors and from 1971 -1972 served as the first African American National President of the American School
Counseling Association, where she was committed to supporting school counselors' efforts to help students focus on academic, career and
social/emotional development;
Whereas, by presidential appointment, Dr. Thelma Thomas Daley became the first woman to chair the National Advisory Council on Career Education;
Whereas, Dr. Thelma Thomas Daley has served with distinction, as the Director of Women in NAACP (WIN) for more than 25 years and under her
leadership, WIN was designated a bona fide Committee in accordance with the NAACP Bylaws;
Whereas, as director of WIN, Dr. Thelma Thomas Daley invigorated WIN with innovative programs to help our people: financial literacy trainings; adoption
of women’s shelters; leadership development; tree planting in Haiti; voter education and registration; addressing women’s health issues; addressing human
trafficking; and the creation of Girl’s Circles as a path to aide in their development using didactic approaches, experiences, speakers, and cultural trips;
Whereas, WIN, under the direction of Dr. Thelma Thomas Daley, built schools in Benin in West Africa where these schools are not just a place for education
but they also provide a space for community activities;
Whereas, Dr. Thelma Thomas Daley accompanied NAACP President & CEO Kwiesi Mfume, National Board members and staff on a humanitarian trip to
Cuba, attending meetings with President Fidel Castro and members of the Council of Ministries, focusing on civil rights, education, health, agriculture and
the status of women;
Whereas, WIN, under the direction of Thelma Thomas Daley, executed an intensive Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) awareness program across the
nation in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Alpha Kappa Kappa Sorority, Inc. and the Coalition of 100 Black Women;
Whereas, under the leadership of Thelma Thomas Daley, WIN answered the call of the Ambassador of Liberia Deborah Malac during the horrific Ebola
crisis providing non-perishable food as requested;
Whereas, Thelma Thomas Daley has and continues to demonstrate true leadership in every aspect of her life;
Whereas, Dr. Thelma Thomas Daley has been and continues to be the epitome of a phenomenal woman, as she has dedicated her life to being a bridge
builder, encourager, motivator, supporter, embracing all people regardless of race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation or ideology for she believes all
people are valuable, all people are worthy and everyone has a story to tell;
Whereas, Dr. Thelma Thomas Daley has and continues to demonstrate true leadership in every aspect of her life;
Therefore be it resolved, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the National Board of Directors, the Foundation Trustees,
membership and staff salute and extend appreciation for the “dashes” in the life of Dr. Thelma Thomas Daley from her birth to the present. The “dashes” of
her life reflect her dedication to the mission and work of the organizations with which she has served, including Women In NAACP (WIN). The extensive farreaching
dash of her leadership, her eloquence, integrity, the respect of self and for others, her advocacy, accountability and the monumental “dashes” of
life and legacy she continues to live and share with all, impact us all each and every day.

THANK YOU
Dr. Thelma Thomas Daley
Produced by:
The Crisis Publishing Company, Inc.
July 2022