Cath Thompson

Managing Director

Cath Thompson (she/her/hers) brings her expertise in conflict transformation, design thinking, network-weaving, and group facilitation to her work as PSFG’s Managing Director. She supports PSFG’s programming, member outreach and stewardship, and organization-wide operations. She’s the person to talk to if you’re interested in membership or if you’re curious about PSFG’s programs or our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Before joining PSFG, Cath worked at Independent Sector, where she supported a network of over 500 philanthropies and nonprofits through capacity-building and programming. Previously, Cath founded and managed PeaceMeals, a program that leveraged cooking classes and facilitated dinners to promote community-building and wellness in the wake of conflict and trauma. Cath served on staff and as a Scoville Fellow at the Truman National Security Project and as a Fulbright Scholar in Morocco, where she researched the country’s Equity and Reconciliation Commission. Cath’s fieldwork in peacebuilding and post-conflict rehabilitation have brought her around the world, including to North Africa, Senegal, Northern Ireland, and Iraq. 

Cath holds an M.A. in International Relations from Queens University Belfast, in Northern Ireland, which she attended as a George Mitchell Scholar. Her undergraduate degrees are in Peace and Conflict Resolution Studies, International Relations, Political Science, and African Studies from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Cath is also a professionally-trained chef, an aspiring watercolorist, and a novice urban gardener.