Colonel John D. Thomas

Sanibel Manor House and Gardens is the residence of Colonel John D. Thomas.  From January 2019 - April 2021 he oversaw the complete restoration, renovation, and furnishing of Sanibel Manor House.  He also designed and managed the construction of the beautiful Sanibel Botanical Gardens.  

Colonel Thomas is a 1979 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. He is also a 1985 graduate of the Air Force Institute of Technology where he earned a Master of Science degree.  He is a 2001 graduate of Air War College and possesses certifications in both Defense Acquisition Management and Defense Logistics Management. 

Early in his Air Force career, Colonel Thomas served as the commander of a Titan II Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Launch Complex.  Later he helped to activate two new missile bases at Comiso Air Station (Italy) and RAF Molesworth (United Kingdom).  In 1987, President Ronald Regan and Chairman Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate Range Nuclear Missile Treaty.  Colonel Thomas was selected as the Logistics Officer for implementing this Treaty.  Following this assignment, Colonel Thomas served as the Chief of North European Initiatives where he developed the initial plans for the re-structuring of U.S. Air Force operations and bases across the United Kingdom in response to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.     

Colonel Thomas has served in a wide variety of defense acquisition assignments that include Program Manager for the C-27J Spartan Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA).  He also served with program key defense acquisition programs such as the F-22 stealth fighter, and the Airborne Laser.  Colonel Thomas has served on a number of senior headquarters staffs to include: the Air Staff at the Pentagon, U.S. Southern Command, United States Air Forces in Europe, Air Force Materiel Command, Air Force Reserve Command, Aeronautical Systems Center, and the Air Force Security Assistance Center.  

Since retirement from the U.S. Air Force, Colonel Thomas founded the Defense Studies Institute.  He has written and published 10 books dealing with military contracting procedures and the federal civil service within the Department of Defense.