Welcoming New Executive Director Scott Thomas

Laguna Canyon Foundation (LCF) has announced the appointment of Scott Thomas as its new Executive Director, effective January 6, 2025.

“We are thrilled to have found our next leader,” said Michelle Kremer, Board President of Laguna Canyon Foundation. “Scott’s deep connection to Laguna Beach, combined with his extensive background in planning and conservation, makes him an ideal director to advance the mission of our organization.”

Executive Director Scott Thomas.

Thomas moved to Laguna Beach in 1988 after joining Orange County Parks (OC Parks) as a landscape architect in the park planning and design division. During the early 1990s, he played a key role in the master planning of Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and later Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park. As OC Parks’ Chief Landscape Architect for nearly two decades, Thomas led the Planning and Design Division, overseeing master plans and park improvement projects across the 60,000-acre regional park system. He served as design director for Laguna Coast Wilderness Park’s Nix Nature Center and the Aliso and Wood Canyons Nature Center, among many other impactful projects within the OC Parks system.

After retiring in 2020 from his 32-year career with OC Parks, Thomas joined the Laguna Canyon Foundation Board of Directors, invited by then-Executive Director Hallie Jones. He served a four-year term before being named Executive Director.

Executive Director Scott Thomas on the Pacific Crest Trail.

Throughout his public sector career, Thomas has been a steadfast advocate for conservation and the protection of the South Coast Wilderness. In the early 1990s, he and his wife, Julie, were among the first volunteer trail guides, leading interpretive hikes in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. After their children were born, Thomas focused on coordinating volunteer trail work and habitat restoration projects.

A passionate hiker, Thomas has completed several long-distance treks, including the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada in 2022. He has since hiked the Vermont Long Trail, the Oregon Corvallis-to-Sea Trail, and sections of the Continental Divide Trail.

Executive Director Scott Thomas with his wife Julie.

“I’m honored to continue serving this incredible organization in a new capacity as LCF Executive Director,” Thomas said. “I’m excited to work closely with the LCF team and Board to further our mission of conserving this extraordinary coastal ecosystem. The wilderness surrounding Laguna has always been special to me, my family, the community, and everyone who helped save this land from development. It’s been an incredible 35 years living here in Laguna—witnessing the 1989 Save the Canyon March, the successful purchase of Laguna Canyon lands for public ownership, and our ongoing efforts to protect this wilderness for people and wildlife alike.”

Laguna Canyon Foundation is dedicated to the conservation and protection of the 22,000-acre South Coast Wilderness. The organization serves as a steward of Laguna Canyon, advocating for open space through education, public outreach, habitat restoration, and trail work.