About Thomas
Thomas lives in Bismarck with his wife Shana and their dog Eisenhower. He has been honored to serve as North Dakota’s Treasurer since 2020. Previously he served in the House of Representatives serving District 27.
Thomas comes from a family that has long valued public service. His grandfather, Earl Strinden, was House Majority Leader and served in state government from 1966-1988. His stepfather, Tony Grindberg, was a state senator from 1992-2014 and is currently on the Cass County Commission. His aunt, Michelle Strinden, was elected to the ND House in 2018 and is currently serving. In addition to elected public service, Thomas’s family has a strong connection to our military community. His father, Skip, was a member of the Army National Guard. Both of his grandfathers served our nation in uniform, as did his uncles Larry Beadle, Michael Beadle, David Zupi and his cousin Michael Zupi, who currently serves.
After graduating from Concordia College with an Economics degree, he went into business for himself as a real estate broker. He’s worked with clients across North Dakota ranging from start up businesses and new investors to large national companies. In addition, he proudly serves as a board member for the North Dakota Autism Center. These experiences have taught him about fiscal responsibility, investment management and conservative spending habits.
As a business leader, a lawmaker, and an active community member, he understands the value of a dollar. It is important that our government understands it too and does everything it can to protect taxpayers and respect their hard earned money. That's the mindset that he’s brought with him to Bismarck.
As Treasurer, Thomas has worked to increase efficiency and transparency in operations. He’s helped reshape the State Investment Board office to bring in private sector experience and upgrade systems and processes to maximize returns and better hold fund managers accountable. He’s also been actively working with his counterparts in other states to push back on DC politics that has tried to interject itself into state finances.
During his time in the legislature, Thomas supported, voted for and helped pass income tax cuts that cut individual rates in half. He’s also supported, voted for and helped pass initiatives like the Prairie Dog Bill and increased K-12 funding. These bills have given billions of dollars back to cities, counties and school districts so they could lower your property tax rates and ensure that you can keep more of your money. His proven track record of listening to your concerns is why he was consistently ranked as the highest rated legislator by our business community in North Dakota.
As Treasurer, he is putting his proven track record to work, promoting transparency and accountability in government, implementing new technology to improve efficiencies, and protecting your tax dollars from DC politics. The Treasurer’s office touches every single taxpayer dollar that flows through the state of North Dakota. You deserve to know where this money is being spent, who is doing the spending, and have it easily accessible so that you can hold agencies accountable.