Episode 21: Steve Thompson of the University of Montana

Welcome to the Director Download, powered by Campus Rec Magazine. It’s time to go behind the curtain of the director role and have honest discussions with leaders in the campus recreation industry. In this episode, host Grady Sheffield, the director of Campus Recreation at Towson University and the senior advisor to Campus Rec Magazine, gives you the listener real and authentic conversation between himself and special guest Steve Thompson, the director of Campus Recreation at the University of Montana. Thompson is an outdoors guy at heart. With a plethora of experience guiding trips and outdoor jobs, he eventually found himself in Texas, pursuing a career in campus recreation at Sam Houston State University. He gained experience, took trips around the world and realized the outdoor gig just didn’t fit with having a two-year-old at home. Transitioning from outdoors programming to an associate director role proved challenging. As such, he looked for other opportunities and ended up at the University of Montana. Having been there since, he shares what Montana has to offer, how his previous experiences outside of campus rec have made him a better leader and what he loves most about his job. Plus, he gives advice to other directors in the field. Enjoy the conversation between Sheffield and Thompson.