Thomas Herman, San Diego State University, CAELI Leadership Council

San Diego State University

Thomas Herman

Dr. Thomas Herman is a humanist, an environmentalist, and a geographer. As a Research Fellow in the Department of Geography at San Diego State University, he serves as project director for the Young People’s Environments, Society and Space (YESS) Research Center. The YESS Center is a vehicle for international research collaborations focused on the geographies of children, families, and communities, and is also a platform for providing consulting and evaluation services to nonprofit and governmental organizations serving children and families. Dr. Herman is a passionate advocate for the discipline of geography and enjoys sharing his enthusiasm with students and other educators, whether in the classroom or the field. Since 2014, he has served as director of the California Geographic Alliance (CGA). Through the CGA, he has partnered with classroom educators and professional learning experts to assess needs, design and implement professional learning programs, create instructional resources, and collaborate with local, state, and national partners — all with the aim of reinvigorating geography as a K–12 school subject and giving every student in California the benefit of powerful geographic thinking that will help them understand the world and their place in it. 

Pronouns: he, him, his

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