Gardiner Thompson joined BCDC in 2023 as Executive Vice President. Gardiner is involved with the senior leadership team at BCDC in the strategy and execution for BCDC’s investments, partner relationships, legal matters, debt and equity financings and dispositions.

Prior to BCDC, Gardiner was the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel at Novare Group where he worked for over 16 years and led the firm’s finance, asset management, operational and legal teams and executed joint venture and construction financings for over 11,500 multifamily units with project costs in excess of $2.5 billion primarily in the Sunbelt region.

Prior to Novare Group, Gardiner practiced corporate law at Troutman Sanders LLP, focusing on mergers and acquisitions and real estate joint ventures. Gardiner also served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Emmett R. Cox on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Gardiner received his BBA in Finance and Juris Doctorate from the University of Georgia.

Gardiner resides with his wife Kiplyn and two children in the Chastain Park area of Atlanta and enjoys traveling with his family, golf and running. Gardiner currently serves on the Alumni Board of the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia and is a member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta and the Urban Land Institute. In addition, Gardiner serves on the State of Georgia Board of Bar Examiners.