Read about his recent work negotiating a new deal to keep the Orioles baseball team in Baltimore in the latest issue of “CATALYST” magazine.
Craig Thompson, JD ’95, is an author, mentor, public speaker, civic activist, father, and husband. And we haven’t even gotten to his two primary professional jobs: a partner at the prestigious law firm Venable LLP and, since March 2023, chairman of the Maryland Stadium Authority (MSA).
With all of this on his plate, perhaps it’s not surprising that when Thompson, 55, is asked what was the most important lesson he learned as a student at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, he responds with a one-word answer: discipline.
“The law school experience at the University of Maryland, Baltimore [UMB] really enhanced my discipline in a way that has stayed with me even to today,” Thompson says. “Being exposed to other students who were extremely focused, dedicated, and more importantly disciplined, having a strong routine that they stuck with. That has helped me to develop the skills I need for my job, candidly for my role as a husband and father, and also for some of the work outside of the law firm that I do.”
An experienced trial attorney who has represented clients in state and federal courts across the country, Thompson’s recent work “outside the firm” has included negotiating a new deal to keep the Orioles baseball team in Baltimore. Thompson acknowledged that the process of securing a lease extension started as soon as he took the position as MSA chair.
“Monday, March 6, 2023, was when the state Senate approved my nomination; Tuesday, I chaired my first board meeting; and on Wednesday, I left for Atlanta with Gov. Wes Moore and [Orioles then-chairman and CEO] John Angelos,” Thompson recalls. They visited The Battery, a mixed-use development near Truist Park in Atlanta, and discussed options for development surrounding the Camden Yards complex.
Thompson says the area around UMB could benefit from such development as well.
“I think that there is potential for many of the stakeholders in the downtown Baltimore area to come together,” he says. “Just knowing that people could be drawn to a wonderful show at the Hippodrome [Theatre] or a concert at CFG Bank Arena or sporting events at M&T Bank [Stadium] or Oriole Park. These are economic drivers that bring people to the city, but then they eat and shop and socialize. It’s an amazing ecosystem that can be developed focusing on sports, entertainment, and hospitality.”
Read more about Craig Thompson in the latest issue of CATALYST magazine.
You can read the Spring 2024 issue of CATALYST magazine, which highlights UMB's new “Climate Change, Health, and Society” elective; innovations such as the School of Dentistry's Division of Artificial Intelligence Research; Carin Cardella, public information officer for UMB Police and Public Safety who has answered the call during state emergencies; the Francis King Carey School of Law celebrating 200 years; new Health Sciences and Human Services Library Dean Emily Hurst and Chief Philanthropy Officer Greg Bowden; Fahren Nipple, autopsy assistant for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and assistant program director for the Master of Science in Forensic Medicine at the Graduate School; and much, much more!