Michael has spent three decades asking:

Why don’t the right people have the right data?

The answer became Forward Health Group. The insight came from watching his wife, a physician, go years without ever receiving a list of her own patients who had gaps in care. The data existed. It just never reached her. That gap is what FHG was built to close.

A UW-Madison alum with a background in mathematics, Michael has worked on every side of health care: payor, provider, government, research. And he brings the same conviction to every conversation:

Cost of care should never be a barrier to receiving care.

Gov. Thompson is widely recognized for advancing health care innovation at state and federal levels. He led major reforms that expanded access to care, including BadgerCare and FamilyCare, and launched the “Pathways to Independence” workforce program for people with disabilities. He played a key role in advancing Medicare Part D and PEPFAR.

Beyond public office, Thompson has remained deeply involved in health care, biotechnology, and leadership. He served as independent chair of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions and as a senior advisor for American Gene Technologies and GenoPalate. He was also president of the University of Wisconsin System during the COVID-19 pandemic.