WILLIAM C. THOMPSON, JR.

 

Bill Thompson was re-elected to a second 4-year term as Comptroller for the City of New York, the City’s chief financial officer. He first assumed office in 2002. With the overall mission of ensuring the City’s financial health, he oversees audits of City agencies, management of $74 billion in pension funds, issuance of debt, monitoring City contracts, approving legal settlements and enforcing prevailing wage laws.

Prior to his current position, Mr. Thompson served as President of the Board of Education for the City of New York. First appointed to the Board in 1994, he was named President in 1996 and served four consecutive terms. He presided over the nation's largest school district, which encompassed 135,000 educators and administrators and 1.1 million students. Under his leadership, the Board of Education secured the passage of the landmark School Governance Law, created opportunities for 28,000 four-year-olds to attend pre-school, reduced early-grade class sizes, and reintroduced arts instruction to every school in the City.

Prior to joining the Board of Education, Mr. Thompson spent twenty years in government and public service. He was chief of staff to former Congressman Fred Richmond, Deputy Borough President of the Borough of Brooklyn, and Senior Vice President for Public Finance at George K. Baum, an investment-banking firm. He holds honorary degrees from Long Island University and Mercy College.

Mr. Thompson earned a B.A. from Tufts University in 1974. He was elected to the Tufts Board of Trustees in 2003 and currently serves on the Administration and Finance Committee and the Investment Committee.