Blake Thomas has been named interim director of Intercultural Programs at Westmont College.
Blake Thomas, former director of Bridge-Builders in Houston, will serve as interim director for Westmont College’s Intercultural Programs.
Mr. Thomas, who played a large role in the service learning ministry of Forge for Families while in Texas, said he will take time to fully understand the racial climate at Westmont and identify specific needs before making changes.
“I am passionate about diversity and reconciliation and committed to creating authentic community,” Mr. Thomas said in a statement. “I hope that I can be an asset as Westmont faculty, staff and students navigate the conversation surrounding diversity, race, reconciliation and justice on campus.”
Edee Schulze, vice president for student life at Westmont, shared that “Blake has a strong faith, vibrant personality and an eagerness to serve well at Wesmont.”
Mr. Thomas said his goal is to facilitate a space for students of color to share their experiences in society and at Westmont, while also promoting equitable unity.
“The most important and impactful thing that I can do as I start is to listen, learn and find ways to partner with students, staff and faculty,” he said.
While serving at Bridge-Builders, Mr. Thomas developed and taught curriculum covering topics such as biblical justice, cultural intelligence, poverty and community development, multiculturalism and race, and reconciliation.
“We started with the belief that every individual member and segment of the body of Christ has something to offer the rest of the body,” he says. “That also means that every member has something to learn from other parts of the body. As we worked with students and church leaders, we entered into a process of mutual growth as every party involved was conformed more thoroughly to the image of Christ.”
Mr. Thomas, a graduate of Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla., is pursuing a master of divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary.
email: mwhite@newspress.com
