Erin Thomason brings over a decade of research experience in evaluation, social insight, and data analysis, with expertise in qualitative research, participatory methods, and facilitation. She has worked across nonprofits, higher education, and global social impact sectors, helping organizations leverage data to drive meaningful change. 

Her work spans a range of impactful initiatives, including My Spark Denver, Unite America, Plan International’s Youth Leadership Academy, the Montclair Urban Teacher Residency, and first-of-it's kind longitudinal ethnographic study on rural households affected by migration in China.  

Erin holds a PhD in Anthropology from UCLA, where she conducted dissertation research in a small village in Henan province. She is a published author in Sociological Review, Gastronomica, Journal of Consumer Culture, and the edited volume Chinese Families Upside Down. 

Fluent in Mandarin and English, Erin lives in Fort Collins with her two active children and three cats. When she’s not working to advance social impact, she enjoys hiking, skiing, painting amateur watercolors, and writing poetry.