Inclusion
Bridge builder
When Thomas Klein, L’78, took the empty, avoided seat beside the first Black student in his elementary school band class, desegregation was new at the time. But as a Jewish person beginning to navigate antisemitism, Klein saw only what they had in common: They both played clarinet.
“I was able to put myself in the shoes of someone coming into a situation where they may not be understood,” Klein said. “I’ve had kids in the neighborhood say all these bad things about Jewish people, not knowing that I was one. I didn’t blame them — I assumed that was the kind of stuff being said in their house.”
“I was able to put myself in the shoes of someone coming into a situation where they may not be understood.”
Early experiences like these molded Klein’s worldview, carrying him through Richmond Law and his subsequent career. He began practicing law, then transitioned to the title insurance industry, where he built a thriving agency. Through it all, Klein quietly championed diversity well before it became a widespread corporate initiative.
“There were not many independent title agencies back then,” Klein said. He hired based on talent regardless of background at a time when many other employers didn’t.
Klein continued to face his own uncomfortable moments of discrimination. During dinner with a company president, the president made an antisemitic comment. “I didn’t know what to say,” he said, “but later in the conversation, I brought up my Jewish background. The president got very embarrassed and apologized, but you can’t take that kind of thing out of a person.”
Today, Klein co-manages the National Independent Agency Solutions, a national title industry consulting firm, with his wife, Cheryl Huerta Klein. He also channels his experiences into political
bridge-building between parties.
“People need to be kind to others and have more dialogue,” Klein said. “There’s a lot more things people have in common than are different.”