From kincraft to Black Church burnings, Professor Todne Thomas teaches about the multidimensional character of human experience Todne Thomas, Associate Professor of African American Religious Studies, is an esteemed ethno-grapher and an expert on kinship studies. But when it comes to titles, Thomas prefers something more personal: “My favorite titles are daughter and mother,” she shares. Her preferred honorifics point to who Thomas is at her core a person who understands the eminence of connection.