Zapara school dean John Thomas honored with Weniger medallion

Pivotal impact

Thomas has led the Tom & Vi Zapara School of Business for 27 years, operating under the tagline, ‘Create value. Make a difference,’ and posting significant enrollment increases along the way. He has served as a member of La Sierra’s business faculty for 38 years and holds the Bashir Hasso Chair for Entrepreneurship and Political Economy. He spearheaded the efforts to raise $18 million for the state-of-the-art Zapara business school which opened in 2013 with seed funds from its namesakes. The award-winning building has also served as home for its international award-winning student Enactus team, formerly called Students In Free Enterprise, or SIFE. The university’s team chapter, part of the former international Enactus organization, was initiated by Thomas during the 1990s and progressed to win an unprecedented seven national trophies and two World Cups for economic empowerment projects that changed lives around the world. 

With a dedicated focus on student achievement and growth, Thomas has also raised more than $4 million for the SIFE team, for scholarships, grants, the school’s centers, for food made available daily to business school students, and for other operational activities.

Thomas serves on numerous organizational boards including those for ADRA International, KSGN 89.7 Christian radio, ICON Business Bank, and Small Business Development Corporation of Orange County. Thomas is a co-founder of Genelux Corp., a NASDAQ-traded biotechnology company involved in cancer research. He chaired Aspire Housing Corporation for 10 years and also served on the board of Family Service Association in various roles including chair for 25 years. 

Thomas earned undergraduate degrees in zoology and chemistry and his first Master of Business Administration degree in marketing from two of the most respected universities in India. In 1985 he arrived in the United States where he earned a second MBA in finance from La Sierra University. He joined the faculty in 1988 and in 2002 earned a Ph.D. in economics from Claremont Graduate University. He lectures widely within the U.S. and abroad and writes about international political economics and entrepreneurship.

“This recognition does not belong to me alone. It belongs to the many people who shape life,” Thomas said, beginning his remarks. “I stand here before you as a product of their faith, courage, sacrifice, and love.”

Thomas told three stories that helped shape his commitment to Adventist education and service, beginning with his difficult start in life in 1958 as an infant suffering from high fever at Gifford Memorial Hospital in Nuzvid, India. He recounted how medical missionary Elizabeth Hiscox, a graduate of Loma Linda University, then called the College of Medical Evangelists, fought for his survival, sitting beside the baby for days, applying ice baths until the fever broke. “She refused to give up because for her, every patient was a child of God,” Thomas said. 

His second story recalled the impact of medical products entrepreneurs Tom and Violet Zapara, and the profound influence of a supportive friendship that transpired over more than 30 years leading to the couple’s extensive support of the SIFE team and the business school. 

“Throughout that journey, they inspired generations of students to dream boldly, work diligently, and serve faithfully,” Thomas said. “The Zapara School of Business at La Sierra University stands as a shining example of their generosity and ideals, a lifetime devoted to Adventist education.”

Vi Zapara passed away on Oct. 22, 2025 at age 99, preceded by Tom Zapara’s passing in June 2024 at age 100. The couple inspired generations of students to dream boldly, work diligently, and serve faithfully, Thomas said.

Thomas’ third story fast-forwards to the early 2000s and a time of financial uncertainty and steep challenges as his wife, Kimberly, battled cancer while caring for two young children.

“Lucrative job offers came from the capital markets and my faith in Adventist education was beginning to weaken,” Thomas said. 

Clarity eventually arrived through the unexpected. One dark night while on retreat with a group of business school students to Camp Cedar Falls in the San Bernardino Mountains, Thomas met a kaftan-robed student from Ghana who informed him, “God put you in my path sir.”

Thomas invited the student to stop by his office to talk further and it was during that conversation that Thomas learned of the student’s determination despite lack of funds.

The student’s family went into debt for his tuition and the student later earned an MBA in accounting and passed the exam to become a Certified Public Accountant. He eventually paid off his debts and returned to Ghana to serve the Seventh-day Adventist church.

“Students like Sam gave me the reasons to stay,” Thomas said. “Looking back now and connecting the dots, I see something greater at work. This, I believe is the power of Adventist education shaping lives, not merely for success, but for service, linking one generation’s faithfulness to the next.”

Excellence as love

Duda’s address, titled “Excellence as Fruit of Grace – not Proof of Worth,” touched on his own unlikely trajectory from his youth behind Europe’s Iron Curtain to leading a church of 14 members in Czechoslovakia, to his current division leadership role. He emphasized the importance of excellence pursued through the lens of faithfulness rather than through the pursuit of perfection. He cited several biblical examples, including the parable of the man who entrusted his talents of money to his three servants, two of whom made investments that increased his holdings, and one who did nothing.

Duda recalled his own experiences encountering leaders in Adventism who saw his potential, influenced him and opened doors including Malcolm Maxwell, former president of Pacific Union College who hired him as a theology professor. He noted personal experiences that shaped him – his early life as the son of a Seventh-day Adventist pastor, living behind the Iron Curtain that divided Europe, missing classes each Saturday and the impact of an elementary school teacher who criticized his six-year-old efforts reciting the 23rd Psalm and chastised his parents.

“Growing up behind The Iron Curtain, I could never imagine influencing the church beyond my local congregation,” Duda said. “If we are honoring anything tonight, we are honoring the excellence of community that shapes us all.”

Excellence should be communal, inclusive and grounded in grace, he noted, not in legalism or performance management. “Excellence, true excellence is love made visible in the quality of our work,” Duda said. 

Weniger laurates were each allotted $10,000 to contribute to the charity of their choice. Thomas directed his allotment to student scholarships at the Zapara School of Business.

“The recognition from the Charles E. Weniger Society was an incredible moment that will live in my memory,” Thomas said. “It provided me an opportunity to publicly thank those pivotal individuals who set my course, from the doctor who saved my life at the very beginning to those who shaped my values and opened doors for my life’s work and trajectory to unfold. I have worked hard since to honor their investment in me by making a difference in the lives of others, particularly our students. My family and I are profoundly grateful for this honor and humbled by its meaning.”

“Johnny Thomas is the embodiment of our university’s values and its mission to transform the lives of our students and uplift our campus,” said La Sierra University President Christon Arthur. “He meets students where they are and empowers them to achieve far beyond their expectations. His profound dedication to La Sierra University through his tireless support of the campus and its members, through his substantive fundraising expertise, and his impactful work building the university’s brand within the business community, have left an indelible mark that will endure. 

"La Sierra University is beyond blessed by his numerous contributions; we are deeply proud of him as a Weniger awardee. Well done, Johnny, you have truly created value and made a lasting difference.”