Laura Mulligan Thomas joined the JMU School of Music faculty in the spring of 2023, after serving 40 years as the director of the nationally recognized Charlottesville High School Orchestra. She came to CHS after graduating with honors from JMU in 1982 and began immediately to develop and nourish the orchestra program of eight students she inherited. Today an award-winning group of 100, a number of CHSO graduates are professional musicians who perform with orchestras and pop, rock, and country artists in the U.S. and Europe including Taylor Swift, John Legend, Carrie Underwood, the Jonas Brothers, and Stevie Wonder. Still other alumni have followed in Ms. Thomas' footsteps and pursued careers in music education. Under her direction, the Charlottesville High School Orchestras consistently earned superior ratings at District Assessments, performed at the Midwest Clinic, garnered top honors at competitive music festivals throughout the U.S., and completed five European concert tours.

Ms. Thomas holds a master's degree in conducting from Shenandoah Conservatory and has been recognized with numerous awards for her work, including the 2022 Elizabeth A. H. Greene Award by the American String Teachers Assocation. Ms. Thomas' four decade tenure and retirement from the Charlottesville City Schools were recognized with a mayoral proclamation designating May 31 as Laura Mulligan Thomas Day in the city of Charlottesville.

In addition to teaching at JMU, Ms. Thomas is president of the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association and Conductor of the Youth Symphony of the Youth Orchestras of Central Virginia. She plays piano and cello with several Charlottesville chamber ensembles, and whenever possible performs with her daughter as Maestra Strings and with her three siblings as the Mulligan String Quartet.