Biography

David Thomas, PhD is the executive director of online programs at the University of Denver. He came to DU after almost 20 years at the University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus. At CU, David held a variety of roles there, including leading CU Online, the university’s academic technology and online program development division. He also held the role of the director of data integrations and architecture, the group responsible for identity management, CRM, data warehousing, analytics and integrations. As assistant professor, attendant, in the Department of Architecture at CU Denver, his research focuses on the theory and design of fun objects, process and places. His work delves into the deep human connection with play and argues for the ability of fun transform our daily lives. He is also the co-founder of Professors at Play, a community of educators working to increase play pedagogy in the academy.