Vinton-WFIRVinton Town Council appointed Barry Thompson as the new Town Manager last night.

Thompson has been serving as Interim Town Manager since January. Prior to that he had served as the Finance Director/Treasurer for the Town of Vinton, a position which he was appointed to in December 2004. Thompson succeeds Chris Lawrence, who left to take a deputy town manager job in Blacksburg.

Continue reading for the full press release from the Town of Vinton

VINTON, VA (June 7, 2016) – Barry W. Thompson was appointed by Vinton Town Council as Town Manager at their regular Council Meeting on June 7, 2016. Mr. Thompson has been serving as Interim Town Manager and Finance Director/Treasurer since January 2016. Prior to that he had served as the Finance Director/Treasurer for the Town of Vinton, a position which he was appointed to in December 2004. Mr. Thompson attended Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas and received a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Management in 1978. He has over 25 years of experience working in local government. Mr. Thompson was employed by the City of Bedford, Virginia, where he served as Assistant City Manager, Assistant to the City Manager and Director of Finance for 14 years from November 1984 to October 1998. Prior to joining local government for 6 years and after leaving the City of Bedford for 7 years, Mr. Thompson worked as a consultant in governmental accounting and as a director of financial support for a governmental accounting software company. Mr. Thompson lives in Vinton with his wife, Margarete, who is employed by Roanoke County Public Schools. He is the son of Mary W. Thompson of Vinton and the late Roy W. Thompson. He has two grown sons, Jonathan Thompson and his wife Rebecca and Zachary Thompson. He has one grandson, Alexander William. Mr. Thompson is very active in the Vinton community. He has served as a member of the Vinton Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and was the Vinton Christmas Parade Chairman for several years and chairman on several other Chamber committees. He also has served on the Board of Directors of the Vinton Needy Family Program. Mr. Thompson is currently a member of the Vinton Breakfast Lions Club and serves on the Advisory Board of the Regional Center for Animal Care and Protection. He is Town of Vinton 311 S. Pollard Street Vinton, VA 24179 Phone (540) 983-0607 www.vintonva.gov affiliated with the Virginia Treasurer’s Association, the Virginia Municipal League (where he serves on the finance committee), the International City/County Management Association, the Virginia Local Government Management Association, and the Government Finance Officers Association. Mr. Thompson is an active member of Bonsack Baptist Church where he is a member of the adult choir and had the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall under the direction of Christian composer/director, Mark Hayes.