Chair, Academic Senate
Jackson Wilson is currently serving his second one-year term as the Chair of the Academic Senate at San Francisco State University. He has served in the SFSU Academic Senate since 2016. He also served as one of the three SFSU senators on the system-wide Academic Senate of the California State University. In recognition of this and other services, Dr. Wilson was honored to receive the 2025 Distinguished Faculty Award in Service that is supported by the SFSU Foundation.
Before becoming Academic Senate Chair, Dr. Wilson served as the chair of the Department of Recreation, Parks & Tourism. He was also the department graduate coordinator and the primary architect of a multi-campus hybrid graduate collaboration that included CSU Chico and Sacramento State University. He taught graduate courses on research methods and leadership and undergraduate courses on applied information technology, management, leadership, and outdoor adventure literature. Dr. Wilson currently serves as an associated faculty in the SFSU doctoral Program in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.).
Dr. Wilson’s research includes a focus on the marginalization of people perceived as experiencing homelessness and nonhuman wild animals in urban park spaces. His peer-reviewed journal articles and presentations include empirical research on the health impacts of soundscape, solar exposure, and stress while recreating in outdoor environments. He has worked for a wide range of outdoor education organizations in the US and abroad and his scholarship has investigated different technical, historical, and programmatic aspects of outdoor education. Much of his institutional research has focused on online learning and student success. Dr. Wilson has secured over $1.8 million in research funding as a PI or co-PI.
Dr. Wilson joined SFSU after earning a Ph.D. in Leisure Behavior from Indiana University. He also earned a Master’s in Economics of Education from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s in Economics from University of Washington. He previously taught economics and statistics at a college in Malaysia and served as an economist for the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife.
When he is not at work, Jackson enjoys attending his daughter’s soccer games, bicycling, and being active in nature.