Eric Thomas, a former high school media adviser and teacher from Kansas City, has been appointed as the next executive director of KSPA. Thomas advised online, yearbook and newspaper students at St. Teresa’s Academy, where students earned top national, state and regional awards.
His time at KU will be split between directing KSPA and teaching classes in photojournalism and visual journalism in the journalism school. During the summer, Thomas will direct the Kansas Journalism Institute, a high school journalism workshop during June.
“Teachers and students around the country know the quality the comes from Kansas high school journalism students,” Thomas wrote. “Having a strong, energetic and organized press association has helped students around the state learn new concepts while also fostering competition. KSPA is a truly exceptional organization.
During his 12 years teaching at St. Teresa’s, Thomas advised the Teresian yearbook, the Dart newspaper and DartNewsOnline. His publications earned a total of four Pacemakers (the highest award for student publications through NSPA) and received the distinction of Pacemaker finalist another four times.
Through the Journalism Education Association, Thomas has been named a Certified and Master Journalism Educator. In 2006, Thomas earned the title of Missouri Journalism teacher of the year. He also was name a Special Recognition yearbook adviser in the National Yearbook Adviser of the Year judging.
He earned a bachelor’s in photojournalism and a master’s in journalism education from the University of Missouri at Columbia. For the past two years, Thomas has taught the online media class though the Kansas Journalism Institute.
In his life before teaching, Thomas worked at community newspapers in Indiana as a staff photographer. Please let the new executive director know how to make KSPA meet all of your needs and wants: [email protected].
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