Dr. Michelle Thompson

University of New Orleans, Department of Planning & Urban Studies

Michelle M. Thompson is an Associate Professor at the University of New Orleans in the Department of Planning & Urban Studies (UNO PLUS). Michelle teaches courses in geographic information systems, community development finance, urban public finance, housing, urban studies and land use planning. She received a Masters’ in Regional Planning'84 and Ph.D.'01 from the Cornell University Department of City and Regional Planning with a focus on community development and spatial analysis using geographic information systems (GIS). Michelle received her Bachelor of Arts in Policy Studies from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs from Syracuse University in 1982. Michelle obtained her Geographic Information Systems Professional certification (GISP) in 2015.

Michelle is also the Principal of Thompson Real Estate Consultants LLC, a real estate research and education firm. Michelle has also worked in both public and private companies related to the finance of residential and commercial real estate. Michelle has a long-term interest in working with community development organizations to provide technical support, market research and evaluation services. Currently Michelle serve as a Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth Senior Data Fellow to evaluate financial wealth of low-impact communities using anonymized and aggregated transaction data.