Dr. Tiffany Thames-Copeland is . . .

. . . among the 13th generation of her family to be born in the territory eventually known as the United States of America, the first generation arrived to Virginia around 1720. She is also a 7th generation descendant of her first known enslaved ancestor born on American soil in 1822. She is among the first generation of her direct family line born in the Chicagoland area, specifically Joliet, Illinois: prior American generations were from Mississippi. 

Her paternal grandparents were sharecroppers, and her parents came of age in the Jim Crow South. In 1969, they migrated to Chicago during the Great Migration and become entrepreneurs, owning and operating eight different businesses. Beginning at age 13, she worked in her family's convenience store. 

Education is of primary importance to her family. Her parents enrolled her in private schools. She is a second-generation college graduate; her father earned a degree from Jackson State University, and her mother from Chicago State University. In 2020, Dr. Thames became the first person on her maternal side of her family to earn a Ph.D. and the second on her paternal side. 

Fun Fact - Dr. Thames is also a relative of David Ruffin of the Temptations.