Tiffany Thompson joined the Swarthmore community Aug. 13 as the associate director of gender and sexuality initiatives at the Intercultural Center and program manager for the Women’s Resource Center.

Thompson worked most recently as the associate director of the LGBT Center at the University of Pennsylvania and brings to the College more than 15 years of experience in sexual and reproductive health, gender rights, homelessness, trauma, and LGBTQ+ advocacy. Prior to Penn, she served as the director of program strategy and integration at the Philadelphia Youth Network, the director of Philadelphia FIGHT’s Youth Health Empowerment Project, and the interim executive director of Galaei, a queer Latinx social justice nonprofit based in Philadelphia. She also serves as the city liaison for the Philly Dyke March and as a grantee selection member for the Jonathan Lax ['71] Scholarship Fund for Gay Men.

“Tiffany will be a wonderful addition to the Swarthmore College community,” says Assistant Vice President and Dean of Inclusive Excellence and Community Engagement Shá Duncan Smith.  “She brings a wealth of experience in restorative justice and working with and supporting LGBTQ+ communities, and has leveraged that experience at prior organizations in the Philadelphia community.”

Thompson earned a B.A. in international business and marketing with a minor in Japanese from Georgetown University and an M.S. in strategic communications from Temple University. In addition to her ties to Philadelphia, Thompson has roots in Japan, where she studied and worked for five years while immersing herself in the country’s language and culture.