The announcement was made by Doug Swink, assistant vice provost for enrollment management; and Kim West, chief marketing strategist and chair of the search committee. 

Thomas has been in the Office of Admissions since 2015 where she has served as the Welcome Center manager, associate director and most recently in the interim director role. She previously served as director of admissions for Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas, a master’s degree from UMKC and is currently enrolled in a doctoral program at the UMKC School of Education.

Throughout her tenure in the Admissions Office, Thomas has helped to build key relationships with campus partners as well as external partners such as the KC Scholars Program and the Hispanic Development Fund. Most recently, Thomas has been working with her team to implement multichannel virtual recruiting strategies throughout the pandemic. She will be a strong asset to the university's efforts to boost enrollment.

“We are excited to extend this new position to Elora, who has demonstrated her passion for leading the entire Admissions team over the past five months,” Swink said. “We look forward to exceptional strategy and planning under Elora’s leadership as she looks to find new ways to continue growing our enrollment. We ask everyone to show their support of Elora in this new role.”