Mychal Thom, Head of School at Concordia Lutheran High School, has accepted a Call to be the Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Dean for Academic Innovation at Concordia University, St. Paul, MN. The position would begin for the 2021-22 school year. His position will begin in August 2021.
“Although a very difficult process and decision, I truly believe this is a calling in every sense of the word,” Thom said. “There are so many good things happening at CLHS, and my family and I have grown much while serving in Fort Wayne over the last nine years. I am tremendously confident in the team that God has built at CLHS over the years. He has brought together servant hearted, Christ-centered, talented folks at CLHS to pursue the mission He has laid out. My family and I will certainly miss serving with the CLHS family. Memories that have been made with the students and their families, faculty, staff, Board and Delegates will always have a special place in our hearts as we move forward.”
Thom has served at Concordia, along with his family, wife Lauren, and sons Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Malachi, since 2012. He came to CLHS first as a principal and then was named the Head of School in 2015, following the retirement of Terry Breininger.
During his time at CLHS, he oversaw the facilities planning process and upgrades (including field turf) at Zollner Stadium. He launched the new Honors Academy and revised the daily schedule to provide longer class periods and more academic and elective classes options for students. He also created a better mentoring program to help new families feel comfortable at Concordia, led a team to develop a strategic academic plan to better position the high school for 21st Century education, and developed a professional development program to move the institution forward based on individual goals and planning. He also guided the school during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a three-month school shutdown during spring 2019.
Thom was called to Concordia in 2012 as the 10th principal of the high school. He previously served as the Head of School for Lutheran High North in Houston, Texas.
Attending Oakland University on a full academic and full basketball scholarship, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2000.
In the athletic arena, he earned the award for the top student-athlete in the Mid-Continent Conference, and also was captain of the team that won the inaugural league championship for Oakland University’s men’s basketball team. As a result of his efforts at Oakland, he earned the Wilson Award, an honor given to the student who has made the most outstanding contribution to the university through scholarship and leadership. He then was awarded a full scholarship to pursue his master’s degree at Oakland, which he earned in 2004.
Thom has taught at the high school and college levels as well as coaching and serving as an assistant athletic director. In addition, Thom was a professional speaker for Making It Count Inc., traveling to high schools to speak to students about making good decisions regarding college.
After just one year of teaching at the community college level, Thom was hired to be the principal for St. John Lutheran School in Rochester, Mich. While serving as principal, he earned his Colloquy from Concordia University at Ann Arbor in 2009.
In the spring of 2009, Thom was called to be the Head of School for Lutheran High North. After three years of service in Houston, he was called to be the principal at Concordia.