Spectra Leadership

Nathan Thompson is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Spectra Logic, an industry leader in delivering innovative data storage and data management solutions that help organizations manage, protect and preserve their digital assets forever.

Nathan founded Spectra Logic in October 1979 at the age of 19, while attending the University of Colorado College of Engineering in Boulder, CO. Originally called Western Automation, the company later acquired the assets of an interface firm known as Spectra Logic and, in 1993, the combined company was renamed Spectra Logic Corporation.

For over 40 years, Spectra Logic, a privately held corporation, has served the needs of data-intensive industries, global corporations and government agencies by providing them with a continuous stream of advanced data storage and archive solutions based on ever-evolving deep storage requirements.

In 1996, Nathan’s business achievements were recognized when Ernst & Young and USA Today named him Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2003, he received the Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award (DEAA) from the University of Colorado. In 2011, Nathan was invited to deliver the commencement speech at the University of Colorado Boulder for the Leeds School of Business, and in 2012, he was inducted into the prestigious Boulder County Business Hall of Fame.

In 2016, Nathan authored a book, along with Spectra colleagues Bob Cone and John Kranz, titled, “Society’s Genome: Genetic Diversity’s Role in Data Preservation.” In the book, Nathan draws on the lessons of history and nature in addressing civilization’s unquenchable thirst for information and our need to find genetically diverse methods to preserve this collective knowledge base – society’s genome – for future generations.

Active in local business and civic communities, Nathan is a member and former chairman of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Young President’s Organization (YPO). He is also a member of the YPO Gold and the Colorado Thirty Group, and serves on the University of Colorado’s Electrical Engineering Advisory Board.

Nathan is a licensed commercial instrument pilot with approximately 2,500 flight hours logged. He also collects and restores vintage pinball machines, some of which are on display in Spectra’s headquarters.

Nathan holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of Colorado Boulder.