Michael Thompson has served as the agency’s Office of Governmental Affairs Director since February of 2023. In this role, he acts as the primary liaison with the South Carolina General Assembly, monitoring relevant legislation, attending hearings, and briefing agency leadership on policy changes.

Thompson’s extensive public service record includes serving as an assistant to South Carolina Governor Carroll A. Campbell, Jr., as a gubernatorial appointee to the DNR Law Enforcement Advisory Board, as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, as the Commissioner and Agency Director of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, and later as an administrator for the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.

In recognition of his outstanding service to the State of South Carolina, he was awarded the Order of the Palmetto by Governor Campbell in 1995. Thompson holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina.