Michael Thomas Named Vice President for Integrated Marketing Communications at Pepperdine University

Project Description

CarterBaldwin Executive Search is proud to partner again with Pepperdine University in the appointment of Dr. Michael Thomas as Vice President for Integrated Marketing Communications. He will report directly to Pepperdine’s new Chief Marketing Officer, Sean Burnett.

Thomas joins Pepperdine after 11 years at Eastern University serving as Associate Vice President for Marketing, Enrollment, and Communications and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the faith-based arts and sciences university. In addition to working with the provost’s team by launching new programs to meet market demand, Thomas led the enrollment team to record growth in new students and the marketing and communications department to a record 34 MarCom awards in 2020. While at Eastern, Thomas also directed their Center for Teaching and Learning and was an assistant professor of psychology.

Prior to his time in higher education, Thomas worked as a psychologist specializing in eating disorders counseling. His interest in the science behind decision-making, coupled with his expertise in human behavior led him to several entrepreneurial endeavors including launching Dine Eating Disorder Services, and founding Recovery Spark, an eating disorder recovery resource.

Thomas earned his PsyD and MS in clinical psychology from Regent University, an MBA from Eastern University and a BS from Cairn University.

About Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is founded on the Church of Christ tradition and proudly upholds Christian values with the belief that they complement and support the pursuit of knowledge. Situated on a stunning 830-acre campus in Malibu, CA, Pepperdine’s main campus overlooks the Pacific Ocean and regularly ranks among the top 20 most beautiful college campuses in the US. There are four additional campuses throughout Southern California and seven permanent campuses around the globe that provide a range of international internships and programs on six continents. With 82 degree programs, Pepperdine boasts top-ranked graduate and undergraduate programs in schools dedicated to business, education and psychology, law, liberal arts, and public policy. Its NCAA athletic program is composed of eight men’s and nine women’s Division I teams.