Stephen Ashton, Ph.D., has been the Director of Audience Research and Evaluation at Thanksgiving Point since 2012, where he has been responsible for leading all the audience research and evaluation efforts for Thanksgiving Point. Prior to that he worked on Thanksgiving Point’s exhibits development team designing and building exhibits. Stephen’s areas of expertise include audience research, evaluation, measuring impact, instructional design, design thinking, and informal learning.

Stephen has a masters and doctorate in Instructional Psychology and Technology from Brigham Young University. In 2015 he was awarded the Rising Professional Award from the Utah Museums Association. He currently serves on the Visitor Studies Association Board—serving as VP of Organizational Development, Utah Museums Association Board, Thanksgiving Point Board of Directors, and as a trustee of the Ashton Family Foundation. Stephen enjoys donating blood and has almost made it to the 10-Gallon Club. In his spare time, he loves hanging out with his wife and their seven rambunctious sons and one delightful daughter.