Thompson retires after 4 decades of service

MADISON — Dr. Brenda Thompson is retiring from the Madison County School District this month after more than 40 years as a classroom teacher and administrator.

Director of Federal Programs for the MCSD, Thompson said she never could have imagined working in a single school district for so long and serving under six different superintendents.

She said her time as an educator can be summed up by the thought of how you never know what the future holds. 

“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,” Thompson said. 

Thompson is a Louisiana native and was one of seven children to integrate her Washington Parish high school in 1968. She is a first-generation college graduate of Grambling State University (Bachelor of Science in Education) and holds a Master of Business Education from Jackson State University. She also earned Educational Specialist degrees from Mississippi State University and Mississippi College, and a Doctorate of Education from Mississippi College. 

Thompson began her journey in Madison County in February 1987 at the Business and Commerce Center (now the Madison County Career Technical Center). She was the business technology instructor there until 1993. 

Her time with the district includes her appointment at Velma Jackson High School from 1996-1998, and as a Federal Programs Technology Specialist from 1998-2014. 

Thompson’s years as a state employee include stops at Jackson State University, Mississippi Job Corps Center, Canton Public Schools Career Center, and Hinds Community College. 

“My husband and I moved to Mississippi in 1978,” Thompson said. “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.”