Jord Thomas proudly wears his UMaine philanthropy cord at commencement in May. Jord participated in Senior Class Giving and was awarded the cord to recognize his philanthropy. He and his family also attended the annual True Blue Toast at Buchanan Alumni House. The toast celebrates class members who give back to support UMaine.

Why would a 57-year-old who lives in Escondido, California, decide to earn his MBA from the University of Maine? A sense of community, history, and flexibility.
 
Jord Thomas, ‘G22, had hit a wall promotion-wise at his job. He works as a production operations supervisor at a recovery firm serving major banks and vehicle manufacturers. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Information Systems from San Diego State University in 2003 and started thinking about earning his MBA. But life, however, got in the way. He continued to learn through workshops and seminars, even teaching himself to program in C#. “Work became more challenging,” Jord says. “So I started thinking about my options.”
 
His options brought him across the country to the East Coast. Born in New York City, Jord is an enrolled member of the Penobscot Nation. “On one of my visits to Maine to visit my father, I scouted out the UMaine campus for possible degree programs for my daughter, Megan,” he says. By the time he was ready to enroll in an MBA program in 2019, the online MaineMBA was waiting for him. “The program’s reputation and rankings, and knowing the University of Maine is just minutes away from my tribe on Indian Island, factored into my decision to enroll.”

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