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Gary Thompson: Chair of the DC Board of Elections
September 19 @ 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Tuesday, September 19, 12:00–2:00 pm
Gary Thompson is the Chair of the DC Board of Elections. The BOE is an independent, non-partisan agency, with 65 staff led by an Executive Director, and three Board members who are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the DC Council. Like most BOE’s, its mission is to enfranchise eligible residents, conduct elections, and assure the integrity of the electoral process. Gary will be talking about how BOE fulfills its missions, including the adjudication of election issues. He will also talk about current and emerging issues at the BOE, such as the proposed Voters Initiative for Ranked Choice Voting.
Gary was born in Cheverly Maryland and has lived in DC for 35 years. He graduated from Georgetown University in 1987 with a B.A. in Philosophy, then law school at Rutgers in New Jersey. He has practiced law in downtown DC since 1990, most with Howey & Simon and then Reed Smith, where he was DC Managing Partner. In 2019, Gary started a firm with two partners, Thompson Hammerman & Davis. Gary mostly sues insurance companies and also works on disputes involving the hospitality and construction industries. He has taken over a hundred pro bono cases, in the areas of civil rights, voting rights, legal aid, and others, including representing four innocent detainees at Guantanamo Bay prison over the last 17 years. In 2015, Gary was recognized as the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year. He has also served many years on Boards and Committees, including the DC Bar Pro Bono Committee; DC Appleseed; the Higher Achievement Program; the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs; and his latest passion, as President of the Alliance to Preserve the Civil War Defenses of Washington. In his neighborhood of Chevy Chase DC, Gary was a publicly elected advisory neighborhood commissioner for eight years, four as Chair. Gary is also a long-time marathoner, so far counting 22 marathons and a few ultramarathons, with the Amsterdam Marathon next up on October 15.
The cash bar will open at 12:00 pm, lunch will be served at 12:30, and the program will run from 1:00–2:00.
- In-person with luncheon: $30 for members; $35 for non-members
- In-person no lunch or Zoom participation: $10 for both members and non-members
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WNDC encourages and expects all visitors to the Club to be up-to-date on vaccinations and boosters for COVID-19, and to exercise responsible judgment in decisions regarding masking, distancing, and remote participation. The WNDC will follow recommendations from the CDC and District of Columbia and will update these requirements as needed.