Margaret Thomas

Biography

Dr. Christmas Thomas serves as the Dean of the Townsend Institute. She joined Concordia University Irvine over a decade ago, and was a leader in starting the Townsend Institute. She has been instrumental in program design and launching of the PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision.

Prior to Concordia she led National Counseling/Academic services for the world’s largest human services provider and consulted internationally in the areas of counseling, education and special education services. She has helped host several national conferences for counselors and educators, provided coaching consulting and presented on these topics across the United States and the United Kingdom.

Degrees Earned

• Ph.D., Education and Leadership, Barry University
• M.A., Counselor Education, University of Central Florida
• B.A., Psychology, University of North Florida

Work Experience

Concordia University Irvine, Irvine, CA (2011–Current)

• Dean of the Townsend Institute (2023 – Current)
• Associate Dean of the Townsend Institute (2016 – 2023)
• Assistant Dean School of Professional Studies (June 2014; Interim Dean, Fall 2015)
• Director of eLearning and Instructional Design (2013–2014)
• Director of Curriculum and Assessment (2011–2013)

ResCare, Inc. (2005–2011)

• National (Senior) Director of Counseling (2007–2011)
• National Director of Academics, Career Technical Training
• Principal – EXCEL Alternative School, Orange County, FL (2005–2007; Partnership with ResCare and Orange County Public Schools)

Belhaven University, Jackson, MS (2006–2011)

• Adjunct Professor of Psychology and Education

Orange County, FL Public Schools (1997–2005)

• Assistant Principal – PACE Center for Girls (2002–2005)
• Lakeview Middle School, Winter Garden, FL (1999–2002): Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Dean; SAFE Coordinator; After School and Summer Program Coordinator
• West Orange High School, Winter Garden, FL (1997–1999): Varied Exceptionalities Teacher
• Oak Leaf School, Orlando, FL (1996–1997): Varied Exceptionalities Teacher

Courses Taught

• COUN 600 Personal Development Skills Process Groups/Townsend Institute Orientation
• COUN 601 Human Growth and Development
• COUN 602 Theories of Counseling
• COUN 603 Clinical Psychopathology and Diagnosis
• COUN 604 Theory and Practice of Groups
• COUN 605 Legal, Ethical, and Professional Issues
• COUN 606 Foundations and Contextual Dimensions of Mental Health Counseling
• COUN 607 Social and Cultural Foundations
• COUN 608 Models and Application of Integration (retired)
• COUN 609 Theory and Practice of Assessment
• COUN 614 Methods and Practice of Research and Evaluation
• COUN 621 Psychopharmacology
• EXCC 600 Personal Development Skills Process Groups/Townsend Institute Orientation
• EXCC 601 Ethical Coaching and Cultural Foundations
• EXCC 602 Building Healthy Organizational Culture
• EXCC 617 Consulting Skills
• ORGL 600 Personal Development Skills Process Groups/Townsend Institute Orientation
• ORGL 602 Building Healthy Organizational Culture
• ORGL 604 Leading Change and Motivation
• ORGL 603 Mindful Leadership: Neuroscience and Emotional Intelligence

Additional Certifications

• LMFT
• LMHC
• NCC

Professional Memberships

• ACA
• AACC

Specialized Practice Areas

Clinical Hypnosis

Awards and Honors

Commencement Address Speaker, Blue Ridge Job Corps Center, Marion, VA, 2010. Excellence in Graduate Education Award, Belhaven University, 2007. Commencement Address Speaker, Old Dominion Job Corps Center, Lynchburg, VA, 2007. ETSG President’s Award, ResCare, Inc., 2006. Boy’s and Girl’s Club of Central Florida Recognition Award, 2002. Principal’s Recognition Award, Lakeview Middle School, 2001.

Presentations

• Christmas-Thomas, M. (June, 2022-current) Research Partnership with the Table Group on behalf of Patrick Lencioni to conduct outcomes, reliability and validity studies to provide quality improvement to the Working Genius Assessment.
• Christmas Thomas, M. and Townsend, John (Sept., 2021). Education Symposium: Shining Through the Storm. Concordia University Irvine, Irvine, CA.
• Christmas Thomas, M and Gordan, Lorraine (August, 2020). Neuroscience for Counselors and the Impact of COVID on the Brain. Presentation Townsend Institute Conference, Concordia University Irvine, Irvine, CA.
• Christmas Thomas, M. (August, 2019) Attachment. Plenary Presentation Townsend Institute Conference, Concordia University Irvine, Irvine, CA.
• Christmas Thomas, M. (July 2016). Best Practices in Early Education. Presentation at St. John Lutheran Church—St. John’s Preschool, Mansfield, TX.
• Christmas Thomas, M. (January, 2016). Working with Families in Early Childhood Education; Inclusion and Early Childhood Education. Presentation at The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) Pacific Northwest District’s Early Childhood Conference, Seaside, WA.
• Christmas Thomas, M. (July 2015). Collaborating with Faculty to Produce High Quality Instructional Design in Online and Hybrid Courses. Presentation at the Online Learning Consortium Conference, Denver, CO.
• Christmas Thomas, M. (January, 2015). Working with Families in Early Childhood Education; Inclusion and Early Childhood Education. Presentation at Circle of Love Preschool (LCMS) Manhattan Beach, CA.
• Partnership with the University of Michigan and DWS (May 2013). Design and market an online nationally available training suite for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th edition to social services practitioners and clinicians. Used by the State of Michigan to train Social Workers.
• Christmas Thomas, M. (October 2014). Case Management; Counseling Techniques; Behavioral Change; Communication; and Special Populations. Training presentations for the Workforce Development Board, Abilene, Brownsville, and Austin, TX.
• Christmas Thomas, M. (January 2014). Early Childhood Education Best Practices. Presentation at The Lutheran Church —Missouri Synod (LCMS) Pacific Southwest District’s Early Childhood Directors Conference, Orange, CA.
• Christmas Thomas, M. (March 2013). Inclusion and Early Childhood Education. Presentation at The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) Pacific Southwest District’s Early Childhood Conference, Riverside, CA.
• Christmas Thomas, M. (January 2013). Inclusion and Early Childhood Education. Presentation at The Lutheran Church —Missouri Synod (LCMS) Pacific Southwest District’s Early Childhood Directors Conference, Temecula, CA.
• Christmas Thomas, M. (2012). Differentiated Instruction for Gifted Learners and Differentiated Instruction. The Lutheran Church —Missouri Synod’s (LCMS) Lutheran Educators Conference, Las Vegas, NV.
• Christmas Thomas, M. (2010). Case Management; Counseling Techniques; Behavioral Change; Communication; and Special Populations. Organizer and presentation at ResCare’s Frameworks for Greatness National Counseling Conference, Edison, NJ and Miami, FL.
• Christmas Thomas, M. (2009). Working with At-Risk Females; Strategies with Exceptional Populations; and Counseling Leadership. Organizer and presentation at ResCare’s Foundations for Greatness National Counseling Conference, Dallas, TX.
• Christmas, M. (2008). CHANGE – Succeeding Under Any Circumstances (Key Note), and Valuing Special Populations. Organizer and presentation at ResCare’s ETSG National Youth Practitioner Conference, Denver, CO.
• Christmas, M. (2008). Building Teams, Building People. Presentation at ResCare’s ETSG National Leadership Conference, San Antonio, TX.
• Christmas, M. (2005). Interventions with At-Risk Youth. Presentation at the Juvenile Justice Educational Enhancement Program Conference on At-Risk Children, Orlando, FL.
• Christmas, M. (2000). The Self Relational Approach to Counseling. Presentation at the American Counseling Association Conference, Washington, DC.
• Producer – Inner City Games, Philadelphia, PA, 1998.

Research

Townsend Personal Relational Assessment Tool (Co-researcher) and Working Genius