Christopher Thomforde came to St. Olaf from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, where he served as president. A 1969 graduate of Princeton, he was a member of notable basketball teams and he majored in medieval and Russian history. He completed graduate degrees in divinity and ministry from Yale University Divinity School and Princeton Theological Seminary.

Before turning to administration, Thomforde served as a pastor, teacher, and college chaplain. He was assistant chaplain and instructor in Philosophy and Religion at Colgate University in 1974-78. As pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Dansville, N.Y. (1978-86) he was active in prison ministry at nearby Attica prison. In 1986, he was called as chaplain by Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, another ELCA school. At Susquehanna (1986-96), he also taught in the department of Philosophy and Religion.

At St. Olaf, President Thomforde presided over the successful completion of the Fram! Fram! Forward St. Olaf fund drive and the growth of the endowment. Notable accomplishments during his presidency included renewed attention to vocation in a new Program for Lives of Worth and Service and the completion of the Dittmann and Tosterud Centers for fine arts and athletics. Fund-raising for a new science complex began, and campus attention to sustainability led to the installation of a wind turbine..

The music department centennial was celebrated under Pres. Thomforde in 2003-04 with concerts and honorary doctorates, including one for conductor Helmuth Rilling. In 2005-06 President Thomforde welcomed Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and accompanied St. Olaf musical organizations on tours of Norway. Christopher Thomforde now serves as President of Moravian College and Moravian Theological Seminary in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.