Michael’s service to Scouting includes tenure as the vice chair of the National Order of the Arrow committee and as the U.S. team leader for operations, logistics, human resources, and training for the 24th World Scout Jamboree. He is also a member of the National Membership Standards Committee and the Churchill Task Force. Regionally, he has been a vice president, executive board member, chair of the NESA scholarship selection committee, and chair of the membership standards committee.

During his 35 years as a Scouter, Thompson, who is a Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow, has received several awards, including the Order of the Arrow’s Centurion, Founder’s, and Distinguished Service awards. He has also been honored with the Distinguished Eagle Scout, Silver Buffalo, Silver Antelope, and Silver Beaver awards.

A firm believer in public service, Thompson was an assistant to former South Carolina Governor Carroll A. Campbell Jr.; the director of legislative affairs for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, including tenure as a gubernatorial appointee to the DNR Law Enforcement Advisory Board; and the commissioner/CEO of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. He is an administrator for the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.