Al Thompson comes to Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti Inc. as a recognized expert on national security issues with strong bi-partisan ties in the House and the Senate. He is also the Deputy Executive Director of the Technology CEO Council, where he works with prominent tech CEOs on their companies’ public policy agenda.

A strategic thinker by training, who is also a political junkie and policy wonk at heart, Al possesses a unique skill set that serves the firm’s clients well.

Al joined the firm in November 2008 after serving as Vice President of Global Supply Chain Policy at the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA). At RILA, Al represented the nation’s largest retail companies including Wal-Mart, Target, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Best Buy, Gap and Costco. He led the association’s policy and advocacy efforts on supply chain, environmental sustainability and security issues. He has testified before Congress and worked with state and local governments on a variety of policy issues, including product safety, organized retail crime and “green” transportation. He played a leading role in the development of the Coalition for Responsible Transportation, a national coalition of retail, trucking and shipping companies committed to implementing sustainable measures to reduce port pollution.

Before joining RILA, Al worked on the House Committee on Homeland Security as a senior professional staff member. Al was one of the original Democratic staffers on the Committee working for both former Rep. Jim Turner (D-TX) and Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS). While on the Committee, Al was the lead staffer on the subcommittees responsible for transportation security, infrastructure protection, and nuclear and biological terrorism.

Al served five years in the U.S. Coast Guard. His career included leading law enforcement missions at sea and providing intelligence reports for senior policymakers. After the September 11th attacks, he served at the Coast Guard’s Incident Command Center, where he prepared terrorism threat briefings in support of the largest port security operation since World War II. He is a recipient of numerous military and civilian awards and lives in Adamstown, MD, with his wife and their three children.