Deja J. Thomas-Williams is the founder of the Georgia Kinship Project, an organization established to address the critical shortage of resources for relative caregivers parenting children at risk of entering foster care. This initiative emerged from her extensive experience working with the Georgia Division of Family and Children's Services, where she served as a case manager in the Resource Development Unit, focusing on children placed with relatives under the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC). Additionally, she has held the position of Kinship Coordinator in the state's Kinship Unit, further solidifying her commitment to supporting families in need.

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Mrs. Williams earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Columbus State University and a Master of Social Work from the University of Georgia. She is currently a Doctoral Candidate in the Doctor of Social Work program at the University of Kentucky, where she is concentrating on advanced practice and leadership in social work.

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Throughout her career, Mrs. Williams has primarily focused on child welfare, serving in roles including placement and permanency specialist, foster care case manager, and kinship coordinator. Her professional journey also includes work in counseling, family mediation, and the nonprofit sector. She has conducted significant research on the outcomes of quality placement matching, the impact of kinship foster homes, and the effectiveness of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) programs in improving outcomes for children in foster care. Currently, her research focuses on implementing diligent search practices to achieve early placement of children with relative caregivers.