Council President
Dr. Aaron Thompson
Dr. Aaron Thompson is a passionate advocate for higher education. He was born in Central Appalachia (Clay County, Kentucky) in a log cabin with a partial dirt floor, to an illiterate coal miner and sharecropper father and a mother with an eighth-grade education. Thompson is a first-generation high school and college student who worked his way through both, experiencing firsthand the transformative power of a college credential.
Dr. Thompson discovered his passion for education and helping others achieve theirs while in college. As an African American who grew up during the Civil Rights era, he understood the importance of ensuring that people of color have access to educational opportunities that help break down institutional barriers. He earned his PhD in sociology, focusing on organizational behavior and race and gender inequality.
Currently, as president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education—the state’s head of higher education—he works to ensure that all Kentuckians have an equal opportunity to improve their lives through postsecondary education. Kentucky was recently ranked second in the nation for college completions and is closing gaps for underrepresented students faster than most states.
Before leading CPE, Thompson served as interim president of Kentucky State University, CPE executive vice president and provost, and faculty member and administrator at Eastern Kentucky University. He brings extensive leadership experience from the private and nonprofit sectors and is a highly sought-after national speaker, having delivered approximately 1,000 keynotes, workshops, and seminars both nationally and internationally, primarily on student success, closing equity gaps, and cultural competence. He has worked with police departments, municipalities, and communities for over three decades to build harmonious relationships. He has served on numerous national, state, and local boards, often in leadership roles. Dr. Thompson has authored or co-authored numerous books and peer-reviewed publications on the first-year experience, diversity, cultural competence, and student success.
Dr. Thompson has received multiple recognitions and awards for his life’s work, including being named the most outstanding State Higher Education Executive Officer by SHEEO; the James Bryant Conant Leadership Award from the Education Commission of the States; the Outstanding Governance Leadership Award from Modern Healthcare; the Outstanding Leadership Award in Governance from the Kentucky Hospital Association; and the East Kentucky Leadership Award for Public Service, among others. He has also received honorary doctorates from Eastern Kentucky University, Kentucky State University, Union College, Brescia University, and Murray State University.
One of his greatest honors is having a foundation named after him, The Thompson Scholars Foundation, which serves low-income students and students of color from early childhood through college in Appalachia. The foundation now supports over 200 young people and is the only nonprofit of its kind in Kentucky. In addition, he was inducted into the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame in 2019 and the Junior Achievement Bluegrass Business Hall of Fame in 2025.
Resources
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Contact information
- Executive assistant: Mary Allison
- Phone: 502-892-3079
- Email: aaron.thompson@ky.gov
- LinkedIn: Aaron Thompson
- Twitter: cpepres
- Facebook: Aaron Thompson
Last Updated: 9/26/2025