Jonathan Reyes takes the helm at FOCUS as its founder steps back

Jonathan Reyes takes the helm at FOCUS as its founder steps back
Jonathan Reyes has been named the next chief executive of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, known as FOCUS, with his appointment taking effect Nov. 16. He succeeds interim CEO Tim Thoman, who has led the Catholic campus ministry during the board’s national search since December 2025.

The change follows founder Curtis Martin’s decision to leave the CEO post while remaining involved as FOCUS’s founder and a board member. Rather than portraying the handover as a break with the organization’s past, Martin and other supporters describe it as a continuation of its existing missionary approach.

Reyes previously served as FOCUS vice president for ministry and formation, helping shape missionary preparation for work with university students. His more recent roles include senior vice president for communications at the Knights of Columbus, alongside prior positions at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He also co-founded the Augustine Institute and founded Christ in the City, an outreach and missionary-formation nonprofit focused on people experiencing homelessness.

In announcing the appointment, Reyes said an earlier invitation from Martin to join FOCUS had “changed my life in ways I could never have imagined.” He said he had seen the apostolate transform lives on campuses and in parishes, and called it “a privilege to serve alongside” its leaders and missionaries.

Martin similarly stressed personal familiarity and continuity, saying he had known Reyes for more than 25 years and citing his leadership experience and desire to help others encounter Jesus Christ. Catholic leaders who welcomed the decision offered the same interpretation: Archbishop Paul Coakley said Reyes’s friendship with Martin gave the transition “a special continuity,” while Monsignor James Shea said Reyes understood FOCUS’s charism from within.

The appointment therefore pairs a leadership change with an effort to preserve the ministry’s established campus evangelization mission under a former insider.

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