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By Aaron Thompson
Special to the Daily News

After more than 40 years as a classroom teacher and administrator, Dr. Brenda Thompson,
Madison County Schools’ Director of Federal Programs, is retiring from the district this month.
In February of 1987, Dr. Thompson began her journey in Madison County at the Business and
Commerce Center (now the Madison County Career Technical Center) where she was the
business technology instructor until 1993. Her time in the district also includes her appointment as lead teacher at Velma Jackson High School from 1996-1998 and Federal Programs Technology Specialist from 1998-2014.
She has led the Office of Federal Programs since 2014, securing more than $28 million in federal funding toward school improvement, academic achievement, English learning, parent
engagement, academic enrichment and more for Madison County students.
Dr. Brenda Thompson is the wife of Dr. Aaron J Thompson, Jr., a native of Bogalusa. They are the parents of Stacey Thompson (Madison, Miss.); Aaron Thompson III (Austin, Texas), and Dr. Candace Thompson (Jackson, Miss.). A career spanning four decades shows why she claims both Louisiana and Mississippi as home.
A native of Angie, La., she was one of seven children to integrate her Washington Parish
high school (Angie High) in 1968. She is a first-generation college graduate of Grambling State University (Bachelor of Science – Education) and holds a Master of Business Education from Jackson State University; Educational Specialists degrees from Mississippi State University and Mississippi College; and a Doctor of Education from Mississippi College.
“My husband and I moved to Mississippi in 1978,” says Thompson. “We have lived in the
Madison County community since 1987, and our three children are all graduates of Madison
Central. I’ll always cherish the numerous experiences and relationships we’ve garnered while living and working here.”
Thompson’s years as a state employee also includes stops at Jackson State University,
Mississippi Job Corps Center, Canton Public Schools Career Center, and Hinds Community
College. This month, she is retiring with over 35 years of devoted service to the district.
She says her time as an educator can be summed up by the thought – you never know what the future holds. “I never imagined working in a single school district for as many years and serving under the leadership of six different superintendents,” said Thompson. “I am most grateful for the opportunity to have worked with some of the finest and dedicated professionals in education who are passionate about teaching and learning.”