Dr. Linda Thompson is the 21^st president of Westfield State University.

Prior to joining the Westfield State community in July 2021, she served as dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at University of Massachusetts Boston.

Dr. Thompson, DrPH, MPH, RN, FAAN, has also held leadership positions in public policy. In Baltimore City, Maryland she served as director of occupational medicine and safety and developed programs and policies to promote the health of the city workforce, including the implementation of policies for HIV prevention and substance use and abuse. At the state level, she served as special secretary of children, youth and families, where she developed programs and policies to improve quality of care for vulnerable populations of children.

Dr. Thompson has published more than 100 articles, books, book chapters, and abstracts. She has secured over $70 million in sponsored grants and contracts, and capital campaign and new construction funding. She has received numerous awards, was an invited participant in the White House Conference on Childcare and has served on many boards and commissions. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Baystate Health, Springfield, Mass., is a member of the Board of Directors at the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, a member of the Stanley Park Board of Directors in Westfield, Mass., and a member of the Board of Trustees for Goddard House, Brookline, Mass.

She earned BSN and MSN degrees at Wayne State University, and master’s and doctoral degrees in public health from Johns Hopkins University. She was recently awarded an honorary doctorate degree in nursing from Northern Michigan University.

Dr. Thompson is originally from Detroit, Michigan.