Natasha R. Thompson

Natasha R. Thompson is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Food Bank of the Southern Tier in Elmira, New York. Ms. Thompson has more than two decades of experience in food banking, starting her career in 1997 as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank.

Ms. Thompson has been with the Food Bank of the Southern Tier since 2001. Under her leadership, it was recognized as Feeding America’s Food Bank of the Year in 2017.

In 2020, the Food Bank of the Southern Tier saw an unprecedented increase in demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many across the Nation, the Food Bank had to drastically shift its operations to respond quickly and efficiently to meet the community’s needs, while also ensuring the safety of staff, volunteers, and clients. Ms. Thompson successfully helped her team navigate the challenges presented by the pandemic, and the food bank ended the year with a record-breaking distribution of 17.6 million pounds of food — a 40% increase over 2019.

Ms. Thompson is an optimist who believes that food brings people to the table, both figuratively and literally, where conversations happen, relationships take root, and communities are transformed. Ms. Thompson has worked with countless people throughout the Southern Tier who are committed to helping their neighbors and making their communities stronger. Since 2018, she has hosted Chasing the Dream, a local public affairs program on WSKG-TV which highlights organizations and individuals who are working to make a difference in their community.

Ms. Thompson holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Religion, and a Master of Business Administration, both from the University of Rochester. She served as the Chair of Feeding New York State from 2016-2018, and was a member of Feeding America’s National Council of food banks, representing the Eastern Region from 2012 to 2016. She currently serves on the board of the Community Foundation of Tompkins County.

In her free time, Ms. Thompson enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending quality time outdoors with family and friends.