"I work in the recovery field because it changes lives profoundly for the better – not just our clients’ lives, but their families and our community. Sometimes it saves their lives. My new, renewed and replenished leadership tools will further facilitate our board and staff to envision what new models of community-based HIV services might best serve the coming decades of HIV infected/affected people here in the greater Phoenix area.”
- Keith A. Thompson, Executive Director/CEO, The Phoenix Shanti Group
Fellow Biography
As Phoenix Shanti Group’s executive director/CEO for the past four years, Keith A. Thompson has led the agency to expand its services, double its annual budget and increase the number of clients it serves. He is responsible for the fiscal, programmatic and development operations of the agency, which provides housing, education and direct client services to individuals, families and loved ones infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Mr. Thompson also served as executive director of TERROS Behavioral Health Services for five years. He also has worked in a program coordinator/counseling capacity for the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, Presbyterian Service Agency and Outreach Services, Inc. of Mesa.
Mr. Thompson received a Master’s of Divinity from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and a bachelor’s degree from Monmouth College in Illinois. He is a Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor in Arizona.
Field Notes
Mr. Thompson has not completed his fellowship. The following is a short summary of his sabbatical.
To better understand how to serve the changing needs of people who are HIV positive or living with AIDS, especially the special medical and psycho-social needs presented by a growing aging HIV positive population, Mr. Thompson plans to spend three weeks visiting AIDS agencies in several West Coast cities to learn how they are strategically addressing the ongoing needs of clients.
He also will participate in a 10-day Georgetown University Nonprofit Management Program followed by visits to several best practice agencies in the Washington, D.C., area. He will end his fellowship with a week of reflection in Southern Pennsylvania.
Contact Information
Keith A. Thompson
Executive Director/CEO
The Phoenix Shanti Group
keitht@shantiaz.org
www.shantiaz.org