Thompson's teaching experience includes 25+ years at the University of Alabama, and 3 years at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He earned a BS in Liberal Arts and a PhD in Economics from the University of Tennessee. He is a member of the American Economic Association, the Academy of Management, and the Southern Management Association. He has also served on the editorial boards of a number of journals, including the Journal of Economics and Finance, the Journal of Management, the Journal of Management Case Studies, and the Journal of Management Issues.