Bio

Paul Thompson has served as President of the Hershey Rotary Club, a member of the District Global Grant Scholarship Committee, and has been extensively involved with the Rotary Youth Exchange Program.

Paul and his Rotarian wife, Maria, have four children who have all participated in community and global service projects. Two were outbound exchange students, and the Thompson family has hosted eleven inbound students. In community activities, Paul has served as President of the Hershey Historical Society and Chairman of the Hershey Area Playhouse.

Paul’s academic degrees include a Master of Security Studies, a Juris Doctorate and Master of Jurisprudence, and a Doctorate of Law and Policy. He has travelled to seven continents, resided abroad for extended periods, and is conversant in German, French, and Turkish.

Paul served in career military assignments as a Naval Officer on Amphibious deployment in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, as attache at the U.S. Embassy in Turkey, as a JAGC officer in trial and appellate military justice positions, as senior counsel to the Chief of Naval Operations, and as Executive Assistant to three National Security Advisors at the National Security Council.

Most recently, Paul served as a Professor of Law and National Security at the National War College, and as Associate Professor of Homeland Security at Penn State University.

Paul and Maria are Paul Harris Fellows and Major Donors.