Meet our Executive Director, Thomas Hebert

I was born and raised in a little town, Altoona, in Wisconsin. From a young age I was always inquisitive and looking for answers, the typical kid that always asked “why”. I excelled in school and upon graduating high school, started college, but found it was not for me. Instead, I began a career in the insurance world, starting my own insurance agency and being very successful in that field for the next 20 years.  As a child, I had no real interest in dinosaurs, but as a parent, I was fortunate to have a daughter who was very much into dinosaurs in her younger years. The interest she had led her and I to go dig for dinosaurs one summer in South Dakota.

I fell in love with the experience, so much so that I began to volunteer for the company that took us out to dig. After several years of volunteering, I made the decision to go back to college to get my degree and pursue digging dinosaurs for the rest of my life. Graduating Summa Cum Laude, starting my own nonprofit, and spending my summers digging gave me the opportunity to meet the great people at the Museum of Discovery at Sheridan College.

In March of 2025, I gave a presentation at the museum, the leaders of the museum asked if I would be interested in taking over the museum.  My passion for building a world-class museum, getting kids out in the field, and allowing the public to participate in the entire experience of fossil discovery, preparation, and display is the driving force that inspires me to do what I do every day. When I am not working at the museum or from home on projects for the museum, you can find me out fishing or hunting, maybe a round of golf or two, and spending time with my wife and two of our children, who have decided to make Sheridan their home as well.