John T. Thompson ’81

John T. Thompson is the chairman and CEO of the following organizations, all based in Indianapolis: Thompson Distribution Company, Inc., a distributor of mechanical supplies and equipment; First Electric Supply Company, LLC, a distributor of electrical supplies and equipment; CMID, an architectural and engineering design firm; and BC Countertops, a construction firm.

From 1984 to 2001, Mr. Thompson served as vice president of Mays Chemical Company, Inc. Prior to that, Mr. Thompson was a consultant for McKinsey and Company in the New York and London offices, from 1981–82.

Mr. Thompson is a member of the boards of the National Bank of Indianapolis; Herff Jones Corporation; Indiana Black Expo (chairman); Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce (vice chair); National Center of Complex Operations (chairman); Indiana Economic Development Corporation; Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority; the Wishard Foundation; the Riley Foundation; the Studio Museum of Harlem; and Columbia Business School.

He earned an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BS in chemical engineering from Cornell University, and is a member of Eastern Star Church and the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. He and his wife Norma have three adult children and three grandsons.