Sam Thompson, MSW
Prior to being the Lead Evaluator for the CCCPH Branch, Sam served as the Evaluator for the Physical Activity and Nutrition (PAN) Branch, where he evaluated the Branch's work promoting physical activity and healthy eating - collecting, analyzing and interpreting program data and making the associated information presentable and available to PAN's, funders, partners and the public. Sam also contributed to the worksite wellness efforts of the branch; coordinating a Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant that resulted in WorkWell NC, a program that provides worksite wellness opportunities to small businesses, and providing evaluation and information management support to the Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less team, a role that he continues for the CCCPH Branch.
Before the PAN Branch, Sam worked with the WIC Famers' Market Nutrition Program at the Nutrition Services Branch of the NC Division of Public Health and for the 21st Century Farmers' Market program at the non-profit, Leaflight which sets up farmers' markets to process Credit/Debit and EBT (Food Stamps). Sam's interest in local food and food access stems from a prior career in the culinary industry in Oregon and Massachusetts.
Sam has been certified as a Work@Health trainer by CDC and a worksite wellness specialist by the National Wellness Institute. He has his Masters in Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, his Bachelors in Science from the University of Oregon and his Associates in the Culinary Arts from the Oregon Coast Culinary Institute.
Sam lives a happy little life in Chapel Hill with his wife Meghan, Daughter, Lucille and dog Botchi (spelled incorrectly on purpose). When he is not at work Sam spends his time cooking, gardening, hiking, swimming, biking, playing disc golf, watching TV and fanatically rooting for the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Oregon Ducks.