Aug. 16, 2025
Throughout his tenure at Mizzou, Aaron Thompson, director of the School of Social Work, has created programs that start on campus, ripple through the surrounding Mid-Missouri community and then influence social workers nationwide.
For instance, Thompson — a steadfast advocate for children’s mental health services — and several faculty partners developed the Family Access Center of Excellence (FACE), a suite of programs that connect children and families in need of services in Boone County to case management services.
“We are reducing the number of children who get caught up in the juvenile justice system by ensuring collaboration among law enforcement officials, school administrators, mental health professionals and families,” Thompson says. The program has become a model for the nation and has been recognized as one of the National Association of Counties’ “100 Brilliant Ideas at Work.”
Thompson’s impact on students and practicing social workers earned him one of the Mizzou Alumni Association’s 2024 Faculty Awards. In addition to leading the School of Social Work, Thompson serves as associate director of the Missouri Prevention Science Institute and helped found the Boone County Schools Mental Health Coalition.
