Trocaire College Names Thomas Beauford, Jr. as Distinguished Speaker for December 2022 Commencement

Trocaire College is pleased to announce that the distinguished speaker for its December 2022 commencement will be Thomas Beauford, Jr., President and CEO of the Buffalo Urban League.

Mr. Beauford is a business executive with over 20 years of strategic leadership experience in private industry and community board service.  In August 2020, he was appointed as President and CEO of the Buffalo Urban League, to lead the historical civil rights, social justice, and community empowerment organization.

Thomas most recently served as vice president at M&T Bank in the Risk Management and Regulatory Affairs division.  Prior to this, Thomas joined HSBC Bank USA, N.A. in 2000, as part of its acquisition of Republic National Bank of New York, managing their Eastern Region Operations Center in New York City.  In 2001, he was selected for HSBC’s International Secondee Programme, headquartered in London, UK.  During his international assignment, he helped lead explosive growth serving as the Deputy Centre Manager of HSBC’s Global Service Centre, in Bengaluru, India.   As a result of his business development success, Thomas was chosen to lead a turn-around of the Bank’s U.S., Australia, and New Zealand Operations from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Thomas also completed research in Moscow and Astrakhan, Russia when selected as an Earthwatch© Institute Environmental Fellow.

In 2006, Thomas relocated to Buffalo, NY with HSBC as Director of Strategic Planning, overseeing Project Management and Business Banking Contact Center, then later, operations centers locally and in Guangzhou, China.  While at HSBC, he was a member of the CEO’s Diversity Council and a founding member and chair of the African Heritage Diversity Committee.  Thomas completed HSBC’s Six Sigma Black Belt training in Vancouver, BC.  He is also a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) and is trained in Commercial Lending and Regulatory Compliance. In 2013, he joined Citi in their Treasury and Trade Solutions Division, as Senior Vice President, Head of Global Billing and Receivables directing the consolidation of global billing platforms for the Corporate Cash Management and Institutional Client Group portfolio.

Currently, Thomas is a board member of the Univera Regional Advisory Board, Visit Buffalo Niagara, Northland Workforce Training Center, Central Terminal Restoration Corporation, Kaleida Health.  Thomas’ past community and board service include Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, Buffalo Urban Development Corporation; International Institute of Buffalo; Community Health Center of Buffalo, Minority Bar Foundation of WNY, and the National Black MBA Association of WNY— where he is the immediate Past President and Urban Bankers Coalition-New York City.

Thomas is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo, holding an Executive M.B.A., and an M.S. in Operations and Supply Chain Management.  He received a B.S. in Business Management from Saint Peter’s University and an A.A.S. in Accounting from Kingsborough Community College. Thomas was also awarded a scholarship to study at Harvard Business School’s Executive Education–Governing for Nonprofit Excellence program.

 An avid jazz enthusiast, he was born in Harlem, N.Y. and raised in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn. Thomas currently resides in the Buffalo, NY area with wife Stacy and is the proud father of two sons, Thomas III, Vaughn, and a daughter, Jewel.  The family are members of Friendship Baptist Church in Buffalo.