About Us

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Our Team provides deep experience to support our clients in the development of their Strategic Initiatives while identifying potential gaps, opportunities and connections needed to execute the plan successfully.  Additional services available include Human Resources planning and executive coaching, and cybersecurity consultation.  Taken together, we work to expand your reach and organizational efficiency.   

A company is only as strong as its executive leadership.  Here’s a “deep dive” into the background and capabilities of our team members:

E.J. Thomas

Co-Founder, President & CEO

E.J. is a non-profit professional with skills in executive leadership, concept development, advocacy, community outreach, and fundraising.  Previous experiences include leading a team of professionals employing servant leadership, mentoring, and encouraging professional development.

Following his most recent experience as Pres. & CEO of one of the nation’s top Habitat affiliates, E.J. Thomas now serves as Executive in Residence with the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio.  He brings his non-profit experiences in fundraising and leadership to advance the organization’s mission and vision: To create opportunities for Appalachian Ohio’s citizens and communities by inspiring and supporting philanthropy…For the citizens of Appalachian Ohio to live in a region abundant with possibilities.

In his former leadership role, he led Habitat for Humanity-MidOhio as Pres. & CEO for 20 years and was responsible for the oversight and operation.  In late 2004, he assumed control of a struggling organization and transformed it into one of the country’s best.  Starting with one small, part-time Habitat “ReStore,” he grew this retail operation to three full-time donation and retail locations.  All support the mission in producing significant revenue for sustainable operations.  In addition, he spearheaded two successful capital campaigns resulting in a total of $6.25 million raised to increase the affiliate’s capacity to serve more families throughout its service area.  Based on the affiliate’s progress, coupled with E.J.’s support for other nonprofit organizations, Habitat MidOhio was recognized in 2022 with a $6.75 million grant from the MacKenzie Scott Foundation that has allowed the affiliate to significantly expand its reach and work in affordable housing.

In his role, E.J.  served two terms as an appointed member of Habitat for Humanity International’s (HFHI) U.S. Council, the body that advises HFHI staff and the International Board on the direction and priorities of U.S. programs and helps in empowering affiliates throughout the U.S.  These 20 members from among the nation’s 1,100 affiliates advise on all aspects of Habitat’s work within the U.S.  In this capacity his responsibilities included serving as founder and chair of its Advocacy Committee and co-chair of HFHI’s Veterans Initiative Advisory Committee.  Currently, E.J. and HFHI lobby Congress each February, descending on Capitol Hill to advocate for key advances and changes to legislation relating to funding affordable housing in the U.S.   

As one who recognized the growing challenge of affordable housing in the region, E.J. is founder and the first two-term chair of the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio created eight years ago.  He continues supporting the organization as vice chair. Since that time, working with elected officials, policy makers and business partners, the Alliance is credited with being the driving force behind the community’s infusion of more than $500M, all dedicated to affordable housing for central Ohio. 

Recognized by his peers in the central Ohio business community, he was awarded CEO Magazine’s, “CEO of the Year” for large non-profit organizations.

E.J. served Governor James A. Rhodes as Deputy Assistant with duties as liaison to the Ohio General Assembly, and was then elected to serve in Ohio’s General Assembly from 1984-1999 as State Representative in Ohio’s 27th & 28th Districts.  E.J. chaired Ways & Means and ultimately moved to chair the powerful House Finance & Appropriations Committee. 

As past chairman of the Ohio Unemployment Compensation Review Commission, E.J. significantly changed the culture and addressed a significant backlog of cases and high workload.  

E.J. is active in the central Ohio community, formerly serving as trustee on the Board of Capital University for 12 years and chaired the Integrity and Compliance Committee and the New Albany Architectural Review board.  He is currently a member of the Ohio Advisory Committee of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition.  Additionally, E.J. was appointed by the HUD Secretary to the Housing Counseling Federal Advisory Committee and elected chair for two terms.  He was a founding member and past chair of the Human Service Chamber of Franklin County, and has previous experience on various boards such as the Columbus Zoo, the local Cancer Society, and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) where he co-founded the CSO’s successful “Picnic with the Pops” summer series.  In 2018, E.J. was one of 20 Ohioans nominated for and inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.

He is a retired Colonel and instructor pilot in the USAF and Ohio Air National Guard, served as Vice Commander of the 121st Air Refueling Wing and ultimately as Director of Operations, Headquarters, Ohio Air National Guard.  Past experience includes 34 missions flown during Operation Desert Storm and integrating a squadron of fighter pilots into the Air Force refueling wing flying heavy aircraft that required a complete reset of cockpit culture.  

Several hallmarks characterize E.J.:  Proactive, strategic thinker coupled with turn-around capabilities and experience, which includes executive mentorship and board consulting.  From his leadership skills to his propensity to see over the horizon, he lends his expertise to Vector Strategies.

Randi M. Thomas, JD (f.k.a. Ostry)

Co-Founder & Executive Vice President

An attorney with more than 30 years’ experience in both the public and private sectors, possessing a deep professional network, Randi Thomas is positioned to assist you in evaluating opportunities from every sector that will foster sustained growth for your organization. 

As a seasoned communicator, facilitator and convener, she can move your objectives forward in both public and private forums including introduction to contacts in industry, business, and government, advancing statutory changes that would allow an organization to move forward in fast-changing business and political environments, start-up advice with access to private equity contacts, and legal referrals.  She is an effective facilitator of relationships among local and state policy-makers, industry partners, and non-profits and a strong strategist skilled in consortium building across multiple disciplines.  With a comprehensive knowledge of policy makers and elected officials within city, county and state government, Randi assists clients in maintaining a significant, outward-facing presence in their chosen area of influence. 

Randi most recently served as Vice President of Strategic Development for a Cleveland biomedical nonprofit business formation, recruitment, incubation and acceleration effort.  In her role, she led the strategic development efforts in maintaining a significant presence in the world of healthcare innovation by interfacing with corporate sponsors, foundations and institutions, garnering their support as well as from decision-makers, venture development firms and other strategic alliances, including the State of Ohio through the biennial budget process.  In addition, Randi shepherded activity in pursuing grants and other resources, working to advance an organization’s long-sighted agenda and wrote proposals for new and existing clients, identifying and establishing the entity’s goals to create the blueprint for achieving those objectives. 

Professional experience includes litigating corporate cases at a Cleveland-based law firm and constitutional cases at two northeast Ohio county prosecutors’ offices; serving on a statewide bench, the Ohio Court of Claims, appointed by the Ohio Supreme Court Justices; leading the largest regional office for former Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine with sections including Civil Rights, Consumer and Environmental Protection, Health Care Fraud, Criminal Justice, Workers Compensation, Charitable and Transportation; and working for former General DeWine in Ohio’s opioid epidemic in her appointed role as Director of Statewide Substance Use Education and Business Initiatives in the Heroin Unit in his office of Policy and Public Affairs. 

Specifically, Randi was charged with bringing business-based solutions to better inform government’s public policy.  In this role, she worked in and with corporate, educational, and biomedical institutions promoting behavioral health, substance abuse prevention, wellness, alternatives to pain management, and advancing healthcare technologies to help solve some of Ohio’s pressing societal issues arising from Ohio’s opioid epidemic.  Of note, she found a pathway in collaborating with nonprofits, businesses, serial entrepreneurs in healthcare IT and government officials by aiding in the development of novel technology-driven resources for the business and educational communities to help blunt the negative economic and social impact of opioid abuse. 

Additionally in this role, Randi administered a statewide grant assisting law enforcement and public schools through substance use education, and ensuring that General DeWine’s policy objectives were fulfilled through task force and coalition work, designing and effectuating collaborations, law enforcement training, and healthcare and business partnerships—particularly leveraging technology as a pathway to solutions.  

Randi's academic background includes a B.A. and M.A. in Political Science with an emphasis in Public Administration, and a Juris Doctorate.  She taught World Politics, American Government, Constitutional Law, and Legal Advocacy at various colleges and universities, including law school. Her skills in the art of courtroom advocacy afforded her membership into the prestigious Order of Barristers.  While studying law at England’s Cambridge University, she consistently demonstrated her passion for justice and respect for the rule of law.  She remains committed to the rule of law as a practicing attorney.

Donald J. English, MSHR, Birkman & Lominger Certified  

Director, Human Resources & Executive Coaching

Don is President of English & Associates established in 1999.  His corporate leadership experience includes successive roles as Senior Vice President of Operations at Honda Transmission Mfg., Vice President of Administration, Honda of American Mfg., Vice President of Human Resources at American Honda.  While at Honda, Don successfully led the initial startup team at its first Transmission Manufacturing Operations outside of Japan, with 500 associates and a combined team of Japanese and Americans working in harmony for a common goal—Honda’s first transmission manufacturing venture outside of Japan.  He was previously Manager of Employee Relations at TRW Space and Technology Sector, and Domestic & International Manager of Labor Relations at Flying Tiger Airlines.  

Don’s current executive level human resources experience includes contract offerings as Interim Vice President & Director of Human Resources for American Greetings; consulting arrangements with CoreComm, Columbus & Chicago offices; Century Insurance; Garick; Chemical Abstract Services; and, LMG Holding.

His experience runs from creating a proactive working relationship with unionized corporations as well as maintaining union free work environments, depending on client needs.  He successfully led both union and non-union operations, domestically and internationally where he developed and implemented proactive associate relations practices, programs and policies to maintain union-free status at TRW, Garick and Honda.  Based on his work with associates in this regard, Honda was recognized as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” during his tenure as Vice President of Administration.

Since 2002, Don has offered executive coaching services ranging in company size from Fortune 500 to mid-sized, small and family owned companies.  He supports the alignment of a client company’s strategic objectives, vision, and their unique culture.  Bringing these three significant business components together allows leadership to develop employees to meet their future business challenges and strategic objectives.  This strategy ensures that each segment of the business is engaged in doing the right things, in the right way and with the right people. 

Don’s Executive Coaching has enhanced the value of senior-level executives of such companies as Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Cardinal Health, Nationwide Insurance, Ohio Health, Diamond Innovations, Federal Reserve Bank, IGS, Givaudan, Elford, Habitat for Humanity-MidOhio, Columbus Airport Authority, the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio, Dave Fox Remodeling, Lincoln Electric and other organizations in a variety of industries.  In this capacity he partners with corporate leadership to identify, articulate, and communicate Corporate Culture and Core Competencies to better align the team with the strategic initiatives in the manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, and service industries.

Don designs succession planning, recruiting and performance management programs for companies of eight to 14,000 employees within the service, manufacturing, and not-for-profit industries.

In order to assure corporate alignment of each employee with a company’s strategic objectives,  Don conducts a comprehensive HR Audit.  It includes developing and leading a corporate and human resources strategy and planning and executing strategic staffing to achieve identified goals.  He couples these plans that utilize visual communication techniques to help clients reach their full potential.

Don’s offers further include developing and facilitating middle and senior level leadership development programs, as he had done for both manufacturing and service industry clients with The Ohio State University and Franklin University.

His community work in academia includes serving as Adjunct Professor at Ohio Dominican University, MBA curriculum; California State University, Long Beach, Labor & Industrial Relations; Franklin University, College of Business Undergraduate and MBA programs; and, Ohio Wesleyan University where he designed and facilitated a thirteen-month Leadership Development Program for their curriculum.

Don comes to Vector Strategies with an MS in Human Resource Management and a BBA in Labor & Industrial Relations.  His studies also include Asian Labor Studies from Sophia University in Japan.

He is affiliated with the Wharton Business School and is past board president of its Research Advisory Group; Central State University, former member of the Board of Advisors; the International Coaching Federation; former board member with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Ohio Dominican University; and board chair of Catholic Social Services.  

Don is certified as a Lominger “Leadership Architect, Voices and 360 Feedback,” and Right Management Executive Coaching employing Hogan, Birkman, Kenexa, and Sentio 24 Assessments.

Harry D. Raduege, Jr., Lt. General, USAF (ret.)

Strategic Advisor, IT and Cybersecurity Expert

General Raduege, a retired three-star General in the United States Air Force, currently serves as a Senior Counselor with The Cohen Group, a strategic advisory firm led by former U.S. Congressman, U.S. Senator, and Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen.  General Raduege is also a Managing Partner with RIDGE-LANE Limited Partners, Information Technology Practice, founded by financier R. Brad Lane and The Honorable Thomas J. Ridge, former Governor of Pennsylvania and the first Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  

General Raduege also serves as the Executive Director, Air Force Communicators and Air Traffic Controllers Association and on the Board of Councilors, EastWest Institute.  The General, appointed by Governor Mike DeWine and led by Lt. Governor Jon Husted under InnovateOhio, serves as a Senior Advisor for CyberOhio, an advisory committee of cybersecurity industry experts and business leaders to provide guidance for the initiative.  He also serves on the Air Force Association CyberPatriot program; and, as a member of the National Security Advisory Council of the U.S. Global Leaders Coalition.  

Following military retirement, General Raduege served as Chairman of the Deloitte Centers for Network and Cyber Innovation and Managing Director for Cyber Risk Services for Deloitte & Touche LLP.  At Deloitte, he worked with global clients serving in the areas of banking and finance, healthcare, oil and gas, electricity, retail sales, government, and national security.  He co-chaired the Center for Strategic and International Studies Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th President and was a Senior Advisor to the Task Force on Cybersecurity for the 45th President.  He also served on the Homeland Security Science & Technology Advisory Committee within the Department of Homeland Security and as CEO of the Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium, composed of more than 50 leading U.S. and international member companies.  

General Raduege is the former Director, Defense Information Systems Agency and Manager, National Communications System.  Following the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, he led efforts to restore communications in the Pentagon and throughout New York City and led the initiative to upgrade Presidential and National Security communications through a $1 billion transformational communications program.  Additionally, he was appointed by the Secretary of Defense as the Deputy Commander for Global Network Operations and Defense, U.S. Strategic Command and as the first Department of Defense (DOD) Commander of the Joint Task Force for Global Network Operations. 

In his last assignments, Raduege directed command and control systems for North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Space Command, and Air Force Space Command.  He also served as Chief Information Officer for all three commands, was the architect for computer network defense capabilities established within the DOD, and was the National spokesman for the Department during the successful “Year 2000” (a.k.a. y2k bug) computer rollover efforts. 

In service to higher education, Harry is a Senior Advisor to the President, University of Maryland Global Campus and serves on the Capital University Board of Trustees in Columbus, Ohio.

General Raduege’s knowledge of Ohio, specifically Columbus, together with global and national expertise in IT and cybersecurity enhances Vector Strategies’ ability to connect a client’s business with national experts for guidance regarding the ever-growing need for business security, as well as providing connections for any entity’s overall growth needs.