December 10, 2024 - Dr. Jeff Thompson has been appointed to the position of Superintendent of Schools for the Peace River School Division. This announcement follows the November 1, 2024 announcement where Dr. Thompson was appointed to the position of Superintendent of Schools (Acting), following the departure of former PRSD Superintendent Adam Murray.

Dr. Thompson officially took on the role of Superintendent of Schools for the Peace River School Division effective December 9, 2024.  A lifelong learner, Dr. Thompson holds a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Education (1986), a Master of Education with a focus in Curriculum and Instruction (1991), and a PhD in Educational Leadership (2017).

“Dr. Thompson possesses a wealth of expertise and experience when it comes to the operation of a school division. With his many previous experiences as Assistant Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent and Superintendent dating back to 1999, and his more recent experience as the Deputy Superintendent and Acting Superintendent of the Peace River School Division, the Board is confident that Dr. Thompson is the best choice in leadership for the PRSD as we continue to move forward with an intensified focus on teaching and learning and quality outcomes for students.”

- PRSD Board Chair Crystal Owens

The Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Thompson to the position of Superintendent during a special meeting of the Board held on December 4 at 9 a.m.

For nearly four decades, Dr. Thompson has dedicated his work life to education in Newfoundland and Alberta, occupying a variety of roles with six different school jurisdictions of varying sizes from a jurisdiction with 13 schools to another with 262 schools. Dr. Thompson began his career in education as a Grade 7-11 teacher before moving into the role of Program Specialist in Math and Science. He then took on his first Assistant Superintendency role with the Labrador School Board in 1999 before becoming the Superintendent of Schools for the same Division in 2001. He then took on the role of Assistant Superintendent of the much larger Western School Division from  2004 until 2013 before being appointed to the position of Deputy Superintendent of the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District (a School Division with a $750 million budget and 262 schools) for a period of three years before arriving at the Peace River School Division in 2017 as the Director of Teaching and Learning for one year, then the Assistant Superintendent for four years, and finally, the Deputy Superintendent for a period of 2.5 years until his most recent appointment to Superintendent of Schools.

“With many years of experience developing, implementing, and monitoring strategic plans, the Board firmly believes that Dr. Thompson is the absolute best person to help guide our staff and students through the completion of the first year of our new Five-Year Education Plan, which builds on the progress our staff and our students achieved during the previous Three-Year Education Plan. As a Board, we are looking forward to working with Dr. Thompson in this new capacity.”

- PRSD Board Chair Crystal Owens

With 30 years of experience working with trustees in various capacities, Dr. Thompson is looking forward to the opportunity to help lead and implement the Board’s vision and direction for the future of the PRSD.

“I have really enjoyed working with the PRSD over the last seven plus years, and I am excited to continue my work in the role of Superintendent. I very much look forward to supporting the Board of Trustees with their important governance work that provides overall direction and clarity to the operations aspects of the organization.  Within the operations domain, I am excited to continue working with all staff in all departments throughout the division to help ensure all children under our collective care have the best opportunities to reach their full potential. The division’s new Five-year Education Plan provides excellent direction and focus for the priority work to be done.  Capitalizing on the strategic alignment of governance and operations structures and processes to maximize efficiencies and effectiveness across the organization to ensure success with our Education Plan will be difficult but exciting work, work that will be much easier because of the support from all members of the excellent team that is the PRSD.” 

- PRSD Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jeff Thompson

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For more information, please contact

Kristin Dyck,
Communications Coordinator
780-624-3601 ext. 10154