Kerry Thomas

Kerry S. Thomas is a Public Engagement & Narrative Advocacy Strategist with the Sero Project, working at the intersection of HIV decriminalization, restorative justice, and systems reform. Based in Boise, Idaho, Kerry leads public-facing strategy that transforms lived experience into narrative power, policy influence, and cross-sector engagement.

A long-term survivor of HIV, HIV criminalization survivor, and returning citizen, Kerry brings rare systems fluency to his work — grounded in direct experience with prosecution, incarceration, aging inside, and reentry. He leverages that expertise to challenge stigma, reframe public discourse, and advance evidence-based reform rooted in dignity, autonomy, and accountability.

Kerry operates across multiple platforms to shift culture and policy. As Editor-in-Chief of Turn It Up! Staying Strong Inside, he amplifies the voices of people impacted by incarceration, with a growing focus on aging, mentorship, and structural barriers to reentry. As co-host and producer of The Mic Is Ours, a cross-border podcast connecting communities in the United States and Mexico, he facilitates dialogue on aging with HIV, LGBTQ+ equity, access to care, and justice reform. As a national presenter and trainer, Kerry equips advocates and institutions with storytelling frameworks that move audiences from awareness to action.

Beyond Sero, Kerry serves on the Aging Advisory Council for the Center for HIV Law and Policy, participates in the U.S. People Living with HIV Caucus, and contributes to the Idaho Coalition for HIV Health and Safety. He is also a member of the Idaho Department of Correction Citizens Council and the Supportive Housing Sub-Committee of the Idaho Behavioral Health Council, where he strengthens partnerships between public health and correctional systems.

Kerry’s work is future-focused: building narratives and policies that replace fear and punishment with science, compassion, and restorative approaches to justice. He believes lived experience is not a footnote in reform — it is strategic expertise capable of reshaping institutions.