My name is Milt Thompson. Let me tell you a little bit about myself.

I was born in Racine, Wisconsin, which is located on the shores of Lake Michigan. I had a happy childhood with parents and five brothers who loved and encouraged me. I attended Janes Elementary, Washington Junior High and William Horlick High School (named after the inventor of the Horlick Malted Milk tablets, popular in the early to mid 1900's).

I attended college at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, from which I received a Bachelor's in History. I love history and still read historical literature at my leisure. I have a Master's Degree along with additional work for my Superintendent licensure.

As a teacher. I spent most of my early career working in special programs, trying to resolve issues related to race relations and discrimination. I have been a Career Counselor and Minority Student Advisor at Sterling College.  I have also been a history teacher at Hutchinson High School during our time in Kansas. 

My wife Peggy and I have spent our careers in education focusing on being role models and champions for disadvantaged students, especially student of color. I have been a principal, Central Office Administrator of a large Wisconsin district, and have also been superintendent in four different school districts.

I have been trained in the Cambrian Model of Strategic Planning and the Tregoe Analytical Decision Making Model.

I have experienced both failure and success in my various roles in education.  I have learned things about the political sphere in education that makes for interesting conversation and helps to clarify where the profession is heading and needs to go.

Of course, being a black male, I have had many experiences inside and outside of education that relate to race.  I share my experiences, travails and insights in my book, The Only One In The Room, in order to pass on some very costly lessons to my audiences.  

I am honest about my confusion at the current state of affairs relating to race and do not seek to manipulate people with guilt or condemnation for what I see in our society.  There has to be a way for people of good will to come together and solve these issues, instead of looking for people to blame for any occurrence of injustice.

The simple wisdom that I share on this website is gained from many years of experiences. I found complexity and unnecessary drama are the death knell of many organizations. During times of intense stress and uncertainty, I have had the privilege of learning from leaders who could 'turn mountains into mole hills". They had the ability to make the task possible and to keep up the spirits of others with their calm demeanor, a talent sorely needed today.

In sharing the stories in my book, I have done numerous newspaper interviews.  I have had the privilege of being a regular contributor on a radio program in Racine, my home town.  I have done book signings, book clubs and other activities to get out the message of my book.

I am also the pastor of Living Stones Charismatic Fellowship, located in Racine, Wisconsin. It is wonderful when people allow others to get close to their lives and to see who they are, good and bad. This allow for what the Bible means by 'iron sharpening iron'. 

Along with the love of Peggy, my wife of 41 years and counting, I enjoy the love and support of our four sons, Nathanael, Matthew, Thomas and Daniel. Watching them grow and develop into men is a real treat. Whenever they say that they are adults, I kid them by saying that the jury is still out on that. They laugh, knowing that it is just my warped sense of humor coming through. I could not be prouder of them as they grow to become all that God intended and gifted them to be.

I have been honored with several awards and the ones that I treasure the most are:

Kenosha Unified Administrator of the Year
Wisconsin School Music Association Administrator of the Year
The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award from Gateway Technical College, Kenosha
The William Horlick High School Distinguished Alumni Award. 

Milt Thompson