Dr. John M. Thompson serves as Assistant County Administrator (ACA) for Richland County (South Carolina) Government. In his ACA role, he provides leadership support to the following departments: Emergency Services, Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, Court Appointed Special Advocates, Operational Services, Public Works, Transportation, and Utilities. Previously, John served as Director of Richland County’s Department of Transportation and was responsible for managing a portfolio of $1.07 billion for improvements to highways, roads, streets, intersections, bridges, and drainage systems; improvements to pedestrian sidewalks, bike paths, intersections, and greenways; and financing of the operation and capital improvements of the mass transit system. Prior to coming to Richland County, John served as Chief Operating Officer at a 14,000-member church and Executive Director of a community development corporation in Columbia, South Carolina. Prior to returning home to Columbia in January 2017, John spent 17 years working in government and the health care industry across the country. He served as Agency Head/Director of the Department of Aging and Youth Services in Fulton County (Georgia) Government. He was appointed by two mayors of the District of Columbia Government to serve as Agency Head/Executive Director of the Office on Aging. On the federal level, John was as an Organizational Development Consultant at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in Baltimore, Maryland. Prior to his government work, he served in various leadership and management capacities for Carolinas HealthCare System in Charlotte, North Carolina and Providence Health System in Oregon and Washington. In addition to his industry experience, John has served as an adjunct faculty member at numerous universities since 2005 teaching courses in leadership, management, health care administration, public health administration, ethics, and public policy. He holds an earned Doctor of Philosophy degree in Health Services from Walden University in Minneapolis, Minnesota; a Master of Divinity degree from Anderson University in Anderson, South Carolina; a Master of Business Administration degree and a Master of Arts degree in Health Services Management from Webster University in Columbia, South Carolina; and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a Minor in Psychology from the University of South Carolina at Columbia. John also completed the Certified Public Manager (CPM) program at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Heis an International City-County Management Association Credentialed Manager (ICMA-CM). John is a Fellow of the American Academy of Medical Administrators (FAAMA) and the American College of Health Care Administrators (FACHCA). John serves as a Board Member of the National Foundation to End Senior Hunger and a Board Member at the National Caucus and Center for Black Aging, Inc.