Who is Kerry Thomson?

Kerry Thomson is a builder. She has committed her life to the work of building better communities. Now, she’s ready to work with you to build a stronger Bloomington, with a fresh approach to administration and collaboration that brings more voices to a dysfunctional City Hall.

Throughout her career in executive leadership, Kerry has both managed and transformed large organizations with complex projects, dozens of stakeholders, and multi-million dollar budgets. This is the expertise she’ll use to address some of the city’s longstanding challenges, including the lack of affordable housing that forces too many into homelessness, growing substance use and mental health crises, and political infighting that has paralyzed our government.

Some may call it impossible, but Kerry has done it before.

As CEO for Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County, Kerry took charge of an organization in debt and guided it to unprecedented growth, with a six million dollar mortgage portfolio and hundreds of thousands in investments. This turnaround was pivotal in helping Habitat build affordable homes for more than 400 families in Monroe County.

In 2018, after more than 20 years dedicated to local affordable housing, Kerry was appointed Executive Director of Indiana University’s Center for Rural Engagement. The Center partners with rural communities on initiatives designed to improve quality of life and invigorate economic vitality. Under Kerry’s leadership, the Center’s reach has expanded into 50 of Indiana's 92 counties, impacting 20,000 Hoosier lives through 300 different projects.

Outside of work, Kerry has supported the Bloomington community by serving on several boards, including Indiana University Credit Union and Tithe Advisory Board, as well as Indiana Habitat for Humanity and Habitat for Humanity International’s US Council.

An avid cyclist, Kerry is often seen biking to work and events throughout the community. She lives in the Elm Heights neighborhood with her husband and five children.