Brigadier General Dean Thompson enlisted in the Army Reserve in 1985, obtaining the rank of Sergeant before receiving a commission as a Second Lieutenant in 1990. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Missouri State University (MSU) that same year and was designated as a Distinguished Military Graduate. He later received a Master of Public Administration degree from MSU and a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the United States Army War College.
Brig. Gen. Thompson’s past assignments include: Commanding General, 353rd Civil Affairs Command, Staten Island, New York; Deputy Commanding General – Support, 99th Readiness Division; Chief of Staff for the 350th Civil Affairs Command, Pensacola, Florida; Brigade Commander, 321st Civil Affairs Brigade, San Antonio, Texas; Battalion Commander, 490th Civil Affairs Battalion, Grand Prairie, Texas; Special Operations Forces Operations Officer, Joint Enabling Capabilities Command, Norfolk, Virginia; and other key command and staff positions with the 418th Civil Affairs Battalion, Belton, Missouri, and 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry Regiment, Oklahoma Army National Guard.
Other notable assignments include Operations Planner for United States Africa Command, Stuttgart, Germany during Operation Odyssey Dawn; Multinational Brigade G5 Civil‐Military Cooperation for NATO Exercise Cooperative Longbow, Republic of Armenia; Civil Affairs Team Leader, Republic of Chad; and Civil Military Operations Center Commander in Jalalabad, Afghanistan for the Coalition Joint Civil Military Operations Task Force.
Brig. Gen. Thompson is a graduate of the Army War College; Army Command and General Staff College; Army Combined Arms and Services Staff School; Civil Affairs Qualification Course; Psychological Operations Officer Qualification Course; Infantry Officer Advance Course; and Infantry Officer Basic Course.
In his civilian occupation, Brig. Gen. Thompson serves as the Executive Director – Regionalism and Economic Development for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.