Rich Thompson is Vice President of Business Development for YouScience – a revolutionary career guidance and workforce development platform that objectively measures aptitudes most important to career choice to help align students’ talent to their best-fit career opportunities. In his role, Thompson is responsible for establishing local, regional, and national strategic partnerships with educational and youth support organizations from coast to coast.
A longtime champion for expanded educational opportunity, Thompson has earned national recognition for his dedication to promote responsible fatherhood through civic engagement in education reform policy. As founder and chairman of 100Dads, a grassroots advocacy organization of civic-minded Dads, he’s been highly instrumental in spearheading multiple landmark legislative victories.
Prior to joining YouScience, Thompson was the founding executive director of the Georgia Parent Teacher Organization, a statewide membership organization working to promote parental engagement and support effective educational options for every child in Georgia.
He’s also served as chief engagement officer of Ameripublic Partners, LLC – a strategic public affairs firm specializing in government relations, grassroots advocacy and business development solutions for non-profits, political campaigns and corporate clients.
Thompson currently serves as governing board chair of Georgia Connections Academy, a statewide virtual public charter school, board trustee of the Georgia 4-H Foundation and immediate past chair of the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Advisory Council.
Thompson is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics. He resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife and two daughters.
Better Outcomes for OUR Kids‘ (BOOK) mission is to raise awareness around the need for high-performing schools in African-American communities, and the need to expand and increase the awareness of educational options and school choice. We believe when leaders are equipped with and prepared to share objective information about high-quality schools through BOOK’s programming, they will be effective at communicating the educational crisis effecting African-American youth. With support from parents, local constituents, policymakers, the media, and key influencers, we can change the course of our failing schools.
