The National Farmers Union (NFU) has named David Thompson as its new executive director, effective April 7, 2025.
Thompson has worked with the NFU-Ontario for the past five years in various capacities including policy research and analysis, conducting farmer interviews and managing programs. In that time, he also coordinated the International Programs Committee (IPC) working groups, and aided in the creation of the NFU’s BIPOC caucus and the farmworker membership category.
He holds an MA in Cultural, Social and Political Thought from the University of Victoria, BC, and a PhD in History from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. In 2018, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Ottawa. Much of his academic work focuses on the history of labour and activism. He has also worked as a union organizer for the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
“Dave is the kind of deeply knowledgeable leader who brings everyone along while staying firmly committed to the mission and values of the NFU,” says NFU president Jenn Pfenning. “We look forward to working with Dave to continue to advance the issues that NFU farmer and farm worker members democratically determine.”
Thompson steps into the role held by Mara Shaw, who has served as the NFU’s executive director since 2020.
