Prominent Valley lawyer and long time supporter of the Commodore Hull Thanksgiving Day 5K Road Race, Dominick J. Thomas Jr., has been named as the Honorary Starter for the 2011 Race.  A Derby native, he is an attorney/owner at the law firm of Cohen & Thomas in Derby where he has practiced since 1977.

Dominick has an incredible record of volunteer leadership in the Valley and beyond. He has been a member of the Lower Naugatuck Valley Boys & Girls Club for 30 years and is a past president of the club. He has also been a member of the Birmingham Group Health Services for 27 years and has served as their General Counsel. He has a long standing relationship with the Valley Association of Retarded Children and Adults (VARCA), and served on their board for 17 years. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors at Valley United Way and has served on the campaign cabinet for the Annual Community Fund Campaign effort.

His involvements have also included service on the Board of Trustees for the Archdiocese of Hartford Catholic Charities/Catholic Family Services. From 2001-2005 he was a member of the Katharine Matthies Foundation Advisory Committee. He is also a member of the Valley Advisory Committee of the Community Foundation fo Greater New Haven.

Not only has Dominick been involved with local nonprofits, he has also been involved with civic government in twice serving as a member of the Oxford Charter Commission. He was also the Town Counsel in Oxford on three separate occasions. He currently is a member of the Town of Woodbridge Board of Ethics.

His professional involvements include the Valley Bar Association where he is a Past President, the Connecticut Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association for Justice.

This is not the first time that Dominick has been recognized his work in the community. In 2010, he was the recipient of the prestigious Charles H. Flynn Humanitarian Award. In 1991, The Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce presented him with the Gold Seal Award and in 2005 the Connecticut Bar Association presented him with a Distinguished Volunteer Service Award. In 2006 the Boys & Girls Club presented him with the Raymond P. Lavietes Award. He was also the winner of the 2009 Sharon Bryce Holly Community Hero Award given by the Volunteer Action Center.

Dominick is a graduate of the College of Holy Cross, and received this law degree from the University of Virginia. He is also an Honor Graduate of the United States Army Judge Advocate General Schools. He served as a Lieutenant in the U. S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations  and a Captain with the U.S. Army Judge Advocate Corps.

He is married to Sally M. Thomas and has three children, Christopher, Gregory and Scott and five grandchildren.