Dr. Alton Thompson
Executive Director, Association of 1890 Research Directors (ARD)
Dr. Alton Thompson serves as the Executive Director of the Association of 1890 Research Directors (ARD), where he leads the coordination and advancement of research priorities across the 1890 Land-Grant system. In this role, he provides strategic leadership in the development of multistate and national research initiatives and fosters regional collaboration among the 1890 institutions. Dr. Thompson is also a key advocate for the 1890 research agenda, representing its priorities to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA), other federal agencies, and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU).
Before joining ARD in August 2016, Dr. Thompson held several senior academic leadership roles. He served for seven years as Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at Delaware State University. Prior to that, he was a tenured professor, Dean, and Executive Director for Agricultural Programs in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at North Carolina A&T State University, where he later served as Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for two years.
Dr. Thompson’s contributions to public service and agricultural research have been widely recognized. He was inducted into the USDA/NIFA Hall of Fame in 2008 and the George Washington Carver Public Service Hall of Fame in 2020.