Sonya D. Thompson
Ms. Thompson is currently Acting as Chief of Staff. She began her career with the Bureau of Prisons in 1992 as an Honors Attorney, through the Attorney General's Honors Program. She served in positions of increasing responsibility within the agency including Assistant General Counsel with the Office of General Counsel, Senior Congressional Affairs Specialist in the Office of Congressional Affairs, and Chief of the Information Technology (IT) Planning and Development Branch in the Office of Information Technology. In 2005, Ms. Thompson was appointed as the Deputy Assistant Director for the Information, Policy, and Public Affairs Division (IPPA), then later as the Senior Deputy Assistant Director and BOP Chief Information Officer. In 2019, she was appointed as the Assistant Director for IPPA, and was appointed as the Assistant Director for the Reentry Services Division (RSD) on February 2021.
As the Assistant Director for IPPA, Ms. Thompson oversaw the information technology program for the agency, as well as the Offices of Public Affairs, Legislative Affairs, Policy and Information Management and Research and Evaluation. As the Assistant Director for RSD, Ms. Thompson oversaw a wide variety of areas, including Community Reentry Affairs, Chaplaincy Services, Women and Special Populations, Psychology Services, and Residential Reentry Management. Additionally, she oversaw the education, vocational and recreation training programs for Federal inmates nationwide.
As the Chief of Staff, Ms. Thompson provides advice and assistance to the Director on a wide range of complex and sensitive issues relating to the law enforcement mission and management of the BOP, including providing analysis of management needs; developing effective strategies, and monitoring the implementation of key initiatives. Ms. Thompson also serves as the agency's Senior Component Official for Privacy and as a member of the Advisory Policy Board for the FBI's CJIS Division.
Ms. Thompson received her Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and her Juris Doctor degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. She is an IAPP-certified privacy professional in the areas of U.S. Government (CIPP/G), Technology (CIPT), and Privacy Management (CIPM). She has been a member of the Senior Executive Service since 2012.