President Thomas Named to OC500 2021 Directory of Influence November 10, 2021 - 1 minute read Congratulations to President Dr. Michael Thomas for his recognition in this year's OC500! Now in its sixth edition, the Orange County Business Journal's annual Directory of Influence profiles the most influential leaders in Orange County across a variety of industries, including community, consumer, education, entertainment, healthcare, innovation, technology, and more. In his profile, President Thomas was recognized for completing Concordia's Forward in Faith campaign in February, which exceeded $100M, making it the largest fundraising event in Concordia University Irvine history. Concordia will apply the funding toward building new facilities, scholarships, academic programs, and endowment. "To witness donors place their confidence in our academic tradition and in our Concordia family in this way is both remarkable and historic. While some of our students and their families face [pandemic-related] difficulties, it's our hope that this campaign will strengthen our ability to support them." Concordia's fifth president, Dr. Thomas took over for former president Dr. Kurt Krueger on January 1, 2020, after spending 15 years at sister school Concordia University Portland. Facebook Twitter Email