Chair, IEEE San Diego Section
CEO, Open Research Institute, Inc.

Michelle Thompson completed an MSEE from USC in Information Theory while working at Qualcomm Incorporated. Her interest in microwave circuit design was sparked by the wide variety of practical circuit designs in the amateur radio service. Michelle has a long volunteer career at IEEE ranging from Student Branch Officer to San Diego Section Chair. She founded the San Diego Chapter of the Information Theory Society in 2020 and the Open Source Digital Radio local group in 2023. Her IEEE work focuses on industry involvement and citizen science. She was a Distinguished Visitor for IEEE 2019-2021 and received the Don Hilliard award in 2018. Michelle is founder and CEO of Open Research Institute, a non-profit R&D firm that publishes Open Source work to the general public. She is responsible for major regulatory reform in the amateur satellite service. She represents ORI on the FCC Technological Advisory Council and serves as the Vice President of an independent telephone company in rural Mississippi, Smithville Telephone, Inc.