Dear LMU Community,
I am pleased to announce that the Loyola Marymount University Board of Trustees has unanimously elected Thomas Poon, Ph.D., as the university’s 17th president, effective June 1, 2025. President-elect Poon’s extraordinary leadership, deep commitment to LMU’s Catholic mission in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions, and bold, inclusive vision make him the ideal successor to President Timothy Law Snyder, Ph.D., at this pivotal moment in the institution’s history. (View the press release.)
President-elect Poon puts students, faculty, and staff at the center of his decisions. With reverence for LMU’s values and the courage to meet the demands of a changing world, he will guide our university to new heights in academic distinction, visibility, and global engagement. His appointment follows a comprehensive national search led by the LMU Presidential Search Committee, with robust engagement from trustees, regents, students, faculty, staff, and alumni, confirming what many already knew: Tom is a mission-driven leader of character, clarity, and consequence.
Leadership and Vision
Since 2017, President-elect Poon has served as LMU’s executive vice president and provost, shaping nearly every aspect of academic life. Under his leadership, LMU achieved Carnegie R2 status, expanded tenure-line faculty diversity, launched new academic programs, and advanced major strategic goals. He has consistently forged alignment across diverse communities, modeling a leadership style that is collaborative, strategic, and visionary.
As president, he will build on President Snyder’s transformative decade while boldly extending LMU’s reach, accelerating philanthropic momentum, promoting student and faculty innovation, and championing a dynamic institutional presence that reflects our values and aspirations.
Academic Excellence and Innovation
President-elect Poon led the development of 21 new programs in high-impact areas, including business analytics, education leadership, and computer science, while increasing support for research and creative work by over 80%. His efforts helped secure LMU’s first national research classification and solidify our standing as a premier Catholic research university. He has also reinforced LMU’s teacher-scholar model by investing in faculty development, inclusive excellence, and a culture of intellectual curiosity.
Student-Centered and Mission-Driven
A hallmark of his leadership is care for students. He has championed student well-being, expanded identity and spirituality resources, and launched the Summer Internship Fund, enabling hundreds of students to pursue career-building experiences. A graduate of fellow Jesuit institution Fairfield University, he embodies cura personalis and the magis, and has deepened his formation through the Ignatian Colleagues Program and the 19th Annotation of the Spiritual Exercises.
Global Reach and Engagement
President-elect Poon has elevated LMU’s global footprint by expanding study abroad opportunities by more than 60% and building international partnerships that enhance student success. He has represented LMU on national and international stages, including the American Council on Education’s Commission on Internationalization and The Beijing Center. His leadership helped launch LMU’s Playa Vista Campus and signature partnerships like the Los Angeles Rams collaboration and Global Conversations speaker series.
Strategic Growth and Fundraising
As a member of the Campaign Planning Committee, Tom has helped shape the vision behind LMU’s largest capital campaign and inspired confidence among donors. Under his academic leadership, LMU’s schools and colleges have raised over $350 million since 2019, funding new facilities, programs, scholarships, and research initiatives.
A Life of Purpose and Service
A tenured professor of chemistry, President-elect Poon is a nationally recognized educator, researcher, and author. His work in science education — supported by multiple NSF grants — has improved hybrid learning, increased STEM representation, and produced new pedagogical tools used nationwide. His life and leadership reflect academic rigor, service, and spiritual depth.
Leaders of LMU’s sponsoring religious orders, including Sean Carroll, S.J., provincial of Jesuits West; Mary Genino, R.S.H.M., LMU Trustee and former superior of R.S.H.M. Western American Province; and Mary Beth Ingham, C.S.J., LMU Trustee and general superior of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, express their full confidence in President-elect Poon’s leadership and fidelity to LMU’s Catholic values in the traditions of their congregations. Archbishop José Gomez adds: “Dr. Poon is a distinguished scholar and academic leader and I look forward to working with him. It is a noble calling to lead a Catholic university. I pray that God will grant Dr. Poon humility, wisdom, and the courage to serve from the heart of the Church, guiding students to seek all that is beautiful, good, and true, and inspiring them to build a society that promotes the sanctity and dignity of the human person created in God’s image.”
Prior to LMU, President-elect Poon served in academic and executive roles at Pitzer College, including interim president. He earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from UCLA and his bachelor’s degree from Fairfield University in Connecticut.
I thank our presidential search committee, vice-chaired by LMU Trustee Michelle X. Dean, for conducting a rigorous and comprehensive search that yielded a competitive and outstanding candidate pool — the most diverse in university history — including women and men leaders, half of whom came from historically underrepresented groups. The committee’s work, supported by WittKieffer, and informed by engagement across all university constituencies, reflects our shared commitment to inclusive excellence and thoughtful discernment.
I also extend heartfelt gratitude to President Snyder for his bold and creative leadership that elevated LMU and inspired our community for the last decade.
In President-elect Poon, LMU gains a leader of wisdom, creativity, and vision. Please join me in congratulating Tom, his wife Cathy, their daughter Sophie, and their dog Calypso as he assumes this new role. Together, we will write LMU’s next chapter — rooted in mission, inspired by purpose, and animated by hope.
Warmest regards,
Paul S. Viviano
Chair, LMU Presidential Search Committee
Chair, LMU Board of Trustees