ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Charles Thompson III, a results-driven executive with more than 35 years of progressive corporate, entrepreneurial and nonprofit experience, has been appointed interim executive director of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Thompson will head the World Headquarters staff of the more than 21,000-member, student-led organization during the national search for an executive director to replace Karl W. Reid, Ed.D. Dr. Reid is departing NSBE, after more than six years at the helm, to join Northeastern University in the newly created position of chief inclusion officer.

Thompson’s appointment is effective March 12. In his current post as NSBE’s senior director of fund development and marketing, he has led the Society’s fundraising, business development and marketing work since July 2019. NSBE, founded in 1975, is committed to ending the underrepresentation of Black professionals in engineering in the United States and increasing the number of Black engineers worldwide.

“NSBE’s student leadership has developed a strong bond with Mr. Thompson over the past 20 months, and we now look forward to building an even stronger relationship to move our organization ahead during this time of transformation for NSBE and the world,” said Jocelyn Jackson, NSBE’s 2019–21 national chair. “We thank Dr. Reid for his incredible service to our organization, which has helped place NSBE front and center in the national dialogue on STEM and has helped prepare us to ‘work the plan’ that will take us successfully into the future.”

Before joining NSBE’s leadership team, Thompson led three major market fundraising operations for UNCF, United Negro College Fund. Earlier, he was the principal of a boutique marketing and creative agency focused on strategic marketing, business development and technology in sectors including retail, local government and nonprofit concerns. Still earlier, he spent 15 years as a marketing executive with AT&T, where his organization was responsible for the creation and execution of national web-based customer acquisition programs, print advertising campaigns, direct-response television and national event-marketing programs.

Thompson is completing the Master of Science in organizational leadership program at Quinnipiac University (degree expected May 2022). He holds a Bachelor of Science in marketing management from Western Governors University and completed the advanced management program at the Duke Fuqua School of Business.

“I thank NSBE’s leadership for entrusting me with this great responsibility as we reshape our strategy to meet the quickly evolving needs of the Black community and the nation’s STEM workforce,” said Thompson. “I am excited about our organization’s prospects, and I feel that my experiences in leadership in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors have readied me for this task.”

ABOUT NSBE

With more than 700 chapters and more than 21,000 active members in the U.S. and abroad, the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) is one of the largest student-governed organizations based in the United States. NSBE, founded in 1975, supports and promotes the aspirations of collegiate and pre-collegiate students and technical professionals in engineering and technology. NSBE’s mission is “to increase the number of culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community.” For more information, visit www.nsbe.org.