Monica D. Thompson
Adjunct Faculty
Bio
Dr. Monica D. Thompson is an experienced educator, administrator, and organizational development professional with more than 25 years of experience across corporate, nonprofit, and higher education settings. She will be teaching Introduction to Organizational Behavior, a course that closely aligns with her advanced academic training in Human Resource Development (HRD) and her applied experience in organizational behavior, leadership, and workforce development across diverse environments.
Dr. Monica Thompson began teaching at the collegiate level in 2001 at the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin, where she worked and taught for 13 years. Since joining the University of Houston, she has taught courses in student success, career development, leadership, and management across the College of Education and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, earning consistently strong course evaluations. She is also frequently invited to guest lecture in Business, Human Resource Development, and Arts Leadership courses and to present at regional and national conferences on topics such as inclusive leadership, organizational change, and career readiness.
Her professional background includes extensive applied organizational behavior experience, having led teams, designed and evaluated programs, coached leaders, and consulted organizations in corporate, nonprofit, and higher education contexts. This experience allows her to intentionally bridge theory and practice, helping students connect organizational behavior concepts to real-world workplace dynamics.
Dr. Thompson's teaching philosophy emphasizes experiential learning, reflective practice, and strengths-based development. As a certified CliftonStrengths coach, she integrates strengths-based leadership, team dynamics, and self-awareness into her courses to help students understand how individual behavior influences organizational culture and performance. She is deeply committed to creating inclusive, engaging learning environments that prepare students to lead ethically and effectively in complex organizations. Dr. Thompson is also a Certified Mediator, Executive Coach, and trained Facilitator, with psychometric expertise in Myer Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Birkman, DISC, Spiritual Gifts, and True Colors.
She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management with a minor in Accounting from Texas State University, along with advanced degrees in Educational Administration and Human Resource Development from Texas A&M University, and Educational Leadership from University of St. Thomas. Her background also includes more than seven years of corporate and nonprofit HR experience in areas such as talent acquisition, organizational development, and human resources administration.
Leadership, mentorship, and student development are central to Dr. Thompson's work. One of her most rewarding roles continues to be engaging with students in the classroom; learning from their perspectives while applying innovative, evidence-based approaches that make learning relevant, practical, and impactful.
Since 2014, Dr. Thompson has served as the executive director of University Career Services within the Division of Student Affairs at UH. For more information, follow this link: Dr. Monica Thompson.