Thomas received a BS in Wildlife Biology from the University of Maine in 1990.  While in college and for a short time after, he worked at the Atlantic Salmon Commission in Maine and for the Maine Department of Fish and Wildlife on both fisheries and wildlife projects.  In the early 1990s, he worked as a fisheries technician for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game while also serving in the Army National Guard. In 1992, Thomas became a Conservation Officer for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. He retired from this position in the spring of 2020 after 28 years. He has fished and hunted since he was a young boy and has trapped in New Hampshire for the last 15 years. In his off time, he enjoys fishing, hunting and trapping as well as playing ice hockey. He shares his love of the outdoors with his wife and twin 6-year-old daughters in Canaan, New Hampshire.