Authors' Bios

Thomas J. Atchison, PhD, MBA

Dr. Tom Atchison has been a Senior Researcher for ERI Economic Research Institute. Having served as a Professor of Management at San Diego State University for nearly 30 years, Dr. Atchison is a recognized expert in the fields of Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior. As a veteran of Boeing and the U.S. Naval Weapons Center, Dr. Atchison has both practical and academic expertise in compensation and benefits administration. He is the author of Management Today: Managing Work in Organizations and co-author of Compensation Administration, 2nd ed., upon which the DLC Internet Based Benefit and Compensation Administration textbook is based. Dr. Atchison is an active member of The Academy of Management and WorldatWork. He holds a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Washington, Seattle.

David J. Thomsen, PhD, ASA

Founder of ERI Economic Research Institute (Redmond, WA) and a senior member of the American Society of Appraisers, Dr. Thomsen holds a CCP with WorldatWork and a PhD in Management Analysis. Dr. Thomsen has served as a Principal with William M. Mercer, Sr. Vice President of American Stores, Manager of Compensation for Dart Industries, and Managing Director of Baker, Thomsen Associates (a West Coast compensation and benefits consulting firm).

Today Dr. Thomsen leads ERI research efforts as they relate to Assessor Series^® software programs, Reference Reports, and websites. He was the original author of both SHRM's first accreditation test in compensation and benefits and ACA's quantitative certification course and test. In addition, he has authored hundreds of articles; the novel, Merger, Takeover Conspiracy; and ERI’s quarterly Update Newsletters.