Speakers
Jim Thompson
Founder and executive director, Positive Coaching Alliance
Jim Thompson is founder and executive director of the Positive Coaching Alliance, a national nonprofit formed at Stanford University to create a movement to transform the culture of youth sports so all youth athletes can have a positive, character-building experience. For more than 10 years, Mr. Thompson was director of the public and global management programs at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he taught courses in leadership and nonprofit issues. He currently teaches courses in coaching, leadership and sports, and spirituality at Stanford University’s Continuing Studies Program. He has authored eight books on coaching and youth sports, including The Power of Double-Goal Coaching, Shooting in the Dark, and Positive Sports Parenting. His latest book for high school athletes is Elevating Your Game: Becoming a Triple-Impact Competitor. In 2004, Mr. Thompson was named an international fellow by Ashoka, and in 2011, the Institute for International Sport named him one of the 20 living Americans who have made the most significant contributions to the practice of fair play and enhanced the national consciousness regarding the central importance of sport. He earned a B.S. in elementary education from the University of North Dakota, a master’s in public affairs from the University of Oregon, and an MBA from Stanford University.
