Jim Thompson

Jim Thompson, CAE, IOM is President of the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce, based in Wake Forest, NC.

Previously he served as Vice President, Client Relations, with IMI Association Executives, an association management company headquartered in Raleigh, NC. There he served as the CEO for the Property Records Industry Association (PRIA) and the National Association of IOLTA Programs (NAIP). In addition to his client work, he served on IMI’s leadership team and was responsible for ensuring client success.

Prior to working at IMI, Thompson served as Vice President of Association Management with CHMS where he managed the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals and the Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering and was responsible for business development.

Thompson’s first CEO role was the Association Executives of North Carolina, where he served as Executive Director for nearly 10 years. Before working at AENC, Thompson was the Director of Business Development for the NC Association of REALTORS® in Greensboro, a position he helped establish after his first year of employment with NCAR.

Thompson was born in Goldsboro, NC and moved to Raleigh in 1986. He would go on to graduate from Millbrook High School in 1990. He is a 1994 graduate of UNC-Greensboro and has a degree in English and Political Science, with a concentration in Journalism.

Thompson is married to Hollyn Thompson, who is the art specialist at Jones Dairy Elementary. He and Hollyn have a son, Nelson and daughter, Lee.

Since moving back to the Triangle in 2005, Thompson has been extremely involved in the community. He has served as chair of the town of Wake Forest’s Recreation Advisory Board and was elected in 2013 as a Wake Forest Town Commissioner and served for two years as Mayor Pro Tem. He and his family attend Wakefield United Methodist Church and are charter members.