Jennifer K. Thompson Email & Phone Number

As the Program Director of LaunchPad, State Policy Network’s incubation and acceleration lab, I work with SPN team members from across the organization to support social and business entrepreneurs who are creating innovative solutions to the challenges our communities face. I am responsible for the program's strategy and execution, including project recruitment, ongoing support, stakeholder engagement, and program evaluation and measurement.

Indianapolis, Indiana Area

In my role as founding executive director, I was responsible for establishing and executing a strategic plan. This included articulating the mission and vision, overseeing the branding process, hiring, development, and program design.

Arlington, Va

I led and implemented major organizational restructuring to address challenges caused by the growth of the organization from 20 full-time staff to 80+ full-time staff, and I also participated in donor relations and grant writing in support of a $12 million annual budget. I coordinated with faculty, students, and staff to develop educational programs and plan professional development programming for undergraduate and graduate students.

Arlington, Va

My responsibilities included annual planning, budgeting, and performance assurance of online programs, summer seminars, and co-sponsored and on-campus programs. My focus was on talent development efforts for more than 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students. I also supervised 6-11 educational program directors and full-time, exempt staff.

Indianapolis, In

As a foundation officer, I oversaw the planning and execution of 85 educational programs with 13 non-profit organizations. Through cost control and new partnerships, I expanded the program while reducing per program costs during the financial crisis.

Indianapolis, In

After launching Liberty Fund's Co-Sponsored program, I created two new positions and hired personnel while retaining existing foundation personnel. As director, I developed all practices, procedures, and content management systems employed by the Co-Sponsored program today. I oversaw an annual budget ranging from $1.5 million to $4.3 million.

Indianapolis, In

I worked with faculty directors to design and execute 14 educational conferences annually for college and high school faculty. Reporting monthly to the Board of Directors on program execution and coordinating the foundation's high school teacher programs were also important functions of my role.

Nashville, Tn

In the philosophy department at Vanderbilt University, I taught or assisted in the following courses:Introduction to EthicsIntroduction to PhilosophyModern PhilosophyAncient Philosophy

Evanston, Il

I taught summer programs for 5th-12th grade gifted students. These programs included introduction to logic and the history of philosophy.

2005 Doctor Of Philosophy, Philosophy

Dissertation: "John Dewey and Pragmatic Economics"

Education For Ministry, Theology

2004 Master Of Arts, Philosophy

Bachelor Of Arts, Philosophy

Activities and Societies: Cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa

Bachelor Of Science, Economics

Activities and Societies: Cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa