Ron Thompson, Founder

—
Ron Thompson is a civic strategist, arts entrepreneur, and cultural policy leader with over 25 years of experience advancing creative infrastructure and civic engagement. A lifelong resident of Duncanville, Texas, Ron has built a career at the intersection of creativity, public policy, and economic development.

He served as the inaugural Chair of the Duncanville Arts Commission, where he led the development of citywide arts policy, secured adoption of the Duncanville Arts Fund, and helped establish Armstrong Park as an officially designated Cultural District by the City of Duncanville. Under his leadership, the Commission became the largest and most active in the city, helping to position the arts as a driver of Duncanville’s civic identity and growth strategy.

After completing his tenure, and recognizing the gaps that needed to be bridged for the long-term health of the arts community, Ron launched the Duncanville Forum for Arts Leadership in October 2025. The Forum is a nonpartisan platform connecting the arts and public policy. Through events, applied research, case studies, and precedent-driven strategies, the Forum equips artists, civic leaders, and community members with the tools to integrate creativity into governance, education, planning, and economic development.

Beyond local leadership, Ron founded Texas’s first nonprofit social-purpose advertising agency, developing campaigns that connected major funders, government agencies, and the public to solve community challenges. He has designed outreach and capital programs to drive arts-based economic development across North Texas and beyond. Modern Luxurymagazine describes him as a “creative capitalist” for his entrepreneurial approach to funding and scaling the arts.

He is a member of Texans for the Arts, the Taos Arts Council, and the Taos Center for the Arts. He has served on the boards of the Dance Council of North Texas, Duncanville Community Theatre, and the Duncanville Nature Conservancy, where his early advocacy contributed to the protection of the Charles F. Ladd Nature Preserve.

Ron maintains his childhood home in Duncanville; a mid-century townhouse in Dallas’ Oak Lawn neighborhood; and a mountain retreat near Taos, New Mexico, where he is currently at work on a book about the legacy of Western swing music.