TUMWATER – Dr. Adrian Thompson has been named the Interim Equity & Inclusion Administrator for the Washington Department of Corrections (DOC) by DOC Secretary Stephen Sinclair.
In the role, Thompson will will provide leadership and direction to help advance the department’s EDIR policies. In addition, he will seek to improve public safety by promoting workplace strategies to create a values-driven, equitable, diverse, inclusive, respectful (EDIR) and anti-racist culture to positively change lives.
Thompson has worked for the Department of Corrections (DOC) as a staff psychologist for over two years. Prior to his work in the Department, he advocated across several clinical settings for youth who are marginalized.
“Dr. Thompson’s experience has made him a great choice for this interim role,” said Sinclair. “His experience with researching physiological effects of race and racism and diversity have made him a great asset to the department.”
In his previous work, Thompson helped research mental health disparities in the court system, advocated and treated youth who were sexually abused and co-created a medical mentoring program designed to target disparities in high school achievement and medical school enrollment.
Thompson earned his doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from Howard University. While at Howard, Dr. Thompson participated in several nationwide diversity and minority initiatives which aimed to increase diversity and representation in academia. His research and publications focus on physiological effects of race and racism, diversity, and social initiatives to increase minority participation.
Thompson takes over from Dr. Karen Johnson, who was recently appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee to the role of director of the Office of Equity.
