Ms. Michelle Marie Thomas

State Board of Workers' Compensation

Michelle Thomas received her undergraduate degree from the College of William and Mary and her law degree from The Columbus School of Law at Catholic University. 

She began her legal career as a claimant’s disability attorney in her hometown of Athens, Georgia.  In 2000, she joined an insurance defense firm in Atlanta as a workers’ compensation associate.  Thereafter, she spent several years working for an insurance company as part of their workers’ compensation defense team, before returning briefly to private practice in 2016. 

In 2018, she joined the State Board of Workers’ Compensation as a mediator, helping parties to resolve issues and achieve settlement across the state.  In 2019, in addition to her role as a mediator, she began serving as a Staff Attorney for the Appellate Division of the Board, assisting the Appellate Judges with their decisions in workers’ compensation cases on appeal. Michelle became the Division Director for the Settlement Division of the Board in 2022.

In her free time, Michelle enjoys baking, reading, and yoga.  She is fluent in German and frequently travels to Germany to visit friends and family.