FAMU's former governmental relations director Tola Thompson returns as new chief of staff
Florida A&M University's former longtime governmental relations director Tola Thompson is FAMU's new chief of staff. That's among senior leadership changes on interim President Timothy Beard's team.
As Thompson returns to FAMU from his position with Ballard Partners – a Tallahassee-based global lobbying firm – he replaces Linda Barge-Miles, who served in the chief of staff/Board of Trustees liaison role for eight years, mostly under former President Larry Robinson .
Beard confirmed the appointment when asked by the Tallahassee Democrat Thursday following a board of trustees meeting at the Lawson Center.
"We've had a new chief of staff in place as of, I want to say, last week," Beard said.
Thompson, who attended the trustees' full board meeting as well as the board's retreat at Bradley's Pond Wednesday, was unavailable for comment following the meeting Thursday.
The change comes as part of Beard's restructuring efforts after he recently asked the entire FAMU senior leadership team to resign in mid-August, which led to four team members no longer being with the university: Communications Director Keith Miles, Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics and Athletics Director Tiffani-Dawn Sykes, Director of Governmental Relations Danielle McBeth and Vice President of Legal Affairs and General Counsel Denise Wallace.
Beard says there are a few positions he is currently trying to fill – director of communications, general counsel and vice president of university advancement, where a search is underway after Shawnta Friday-Stroud resigned from both the vice president role and executive director of the FAMU Foundation.
He also says a new athletics director should be announced within the next two weeks.
While Beard confirmed that Barge-Miles – who also attended the board's Thursday meeting and Wednesday retreat but was not available for comment – will still be with the university in a different capacity, he declined to comment on her current status at FAMU.
Who is Tola Thompson?
Thompson, a FAMU alumnus, received his bachelor's in journalism from the School of Journalism & Graphic Communication in 1984.
He has held several positions throughout over a decade of experience with the U.S. House in Washington, where he served two members of the Congressional Black Caucus in roles including communications director and senior legislative assistant.
Thompson became FAMU's assistant vice president and director of governmental relations from 2007 to 2017 – where he helped secure more than $251 million in new funding from federal and state sources – before leaving the university post to work as Congressman Al Lawson's chief of staff in 2017-21.
He then left Lawson's office to join Ballard Partners, an international lobbying firm led by founder and President Brian Ballard of Tallahassee, in 2021. The company's website lists him as a partner in the firm's Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles offices.
It is unclear if Thompson is taking a leave of absence from Ballard Partners to serve with Beard during his one-year contract at the university.
Besides previously serving FAMU for nearly a decade and having an alumni status, Thompson's ties to the HBCU (historically Black college and university) run deep. His father is George "Godfather" Thompson , a former longtime equipment manager for FAMU football. The football team's locker room is named in his honor.
"At this point, we're pretty much stable in terms of changes," Beard said Thursday. "We feel like the right people now are on the bus and in the right seats."
Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on X: @tarahjean_ .
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Top lobbyist Tola Thompson is named new chief of staff at FAMU
