SHA 2021 Slate
SHA and ACUA 2021 Candidates Biographic Statements
Marco G. Meniketti
Marco G. Meniketti
Marco G. Meniketti
Present Position: Professor, Senior Archaeologist, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA
Education: Ph.D., Michigan State University, 2005; M.A., Anthropology, Michigan State University, 2001; M.S., Industrial Archaeology, Michigan Tech University, 1998; Institute of Nautical Archaeology, Texas A&M University, 1985–1987; Teaching Credential, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Berkeley, 1977; B.A., Anthropology, University of California Berkeley, 1976
Professional Service to SHA and Other Societies: I served as co-organizer and Program Chair for the annual Conference of the Society for Industrial Archeology in 2007, held in San Jose, CA. I ran (unsuccessfully) for the SHA nominations committee. I served as editor for the Underwater Archaeology Proceedings 2015 (Seattle). I was elected to the ACUA board in 2016, and Chair in 2017. As ACUA Chair, I served on the SHA Board of Directors, the Conference Committee, the Budget Committee, and Ethics Committee. I represented ACUA at the annual UNESCO meetings for the Convention on the reservation of underwater cultural heritage. Representing SHA in 2020, I met on Capitol Hill with staff of Sen. Kamala Harris, and Congressman Eric Swawell, to garner support for a bipartisan bill seeking protection of traditional African American burial grounds. I am a founding member of the California Maritime Archaeology Committee (Society for California Archaeology) and co-founder of the new California State University Council of Archaeologists.
Research Interests: colonialism, slavery, capitalism and industrial development, immigrant labor, environmental change, ancient Phoenician seafaring, Pacific galleons in the age of exploration, and first contact on the west coast
Biographical Statement: My career began in the desert. Fresh from college with a BA in Anthropology from UC Berkeley, I set out to change the world. Then I encountered reality. My first employment was in the Great Basin with the Nevada Department of Transportation. Over my years at NDOT, I learned about the often-fraught relationships between government agencies and boundary jurisdictions. One could say I became an itinerant grad student; working as a science teacher between grad school episodes. I returned to graduate school at Texas A&M University with INA. In 1984, I attended my first SHA conference when treasure hunters were still on the Board. I worked underwater projects at Port Royal and St Ann’s Bay, Jamaica. I completed studies in Industrial Archaeology at Michigan Tech, then on to Michigan State, for my doctorate, funded by the College of Education as a research assistant and with pick-up CRM jobs. Following a year teaching at Michigan Tech, I became Asst. Prof. at San Jose State University. For the past twenty years, I have conducted research in the Caribbean. I annually direct field schools in the Caribbean and in California. Although educated as an anthropologist, I have shoveled in the desert, worked on iron forges, timber mills, sugar plantations, shipwrecks, and sunken cities. At San Jose State, I have directed projects partnering with California State Parks and the National Park Service.
My books address capitalism, environmental change, and labor variously on Caribbean sugar plantations and in California’s early timber industry. I am committed to the proposition that archaeology can be a dynamic force for social justice. Recent distinctions include being elected an Explorers Club Fellow in 2010; Excellence in Teaching Award 2016; and the 2020 Warburton Award for Research, the highest honor of the College of Social Sciences at San Jose State.
Given the qualifications and experience outlined in your biographical statement, what do you believe you can contribute to SHA if elected?
I am truly humbled by the nomination for this important role. Two aspects of my non-traditional career path inform my perspective regarding professional diversity and enabling success among others. First, my approach is intradisciplinary and interdisciplinary. I understand CRM; I understand agency and government environments; I can navigate the academic world and have clarity on what constitutes meaningful service. I have been a shovel bum and a project director. I bring a clear picture of the field as a whole and strong convictions regarding where we need to evolve. I am a trained mediator and facilitator and this skill set enables me to build capacity, professional bridges, and partnerships.
Secondly, my time directing non-profits and as Chair of the ACUA afforded me the opportunity to work with dedicated and talented colleagues who inspired me with their drive and mindfulness at every meeting. SHA is fortunate to have such people throughout the society. As a blue-collar scholar, I believe an organization like SHA should find ways to help its members thrive in their professions, through continuing education, publishing opportunities, and networking beyond the bar at a conference. We should furthermore be mentoring students as they try to break into the profession.
From organizational and university experience I have fine-tuned budgetary and managerial skills needed to conduct the business of SHA. I co-founded the San Agustin Institute in 1987–1995, a non-profit organization opposing the influences of treasure hunters in California in the years before the Shipwreck Law and worked to educate the sport diving community about preservation, recruiting divers to document what they find rather than harvesting souvenirs. I founded the Institute for Caribbean Studies in 2005–2018, a non-profit dedicated to providing scholarships to students attending field school. I am an active in five professional societies and contribute my research and my time regularly at conferences. I will bring my energy, enthusiasm, and most of all, my broad spectrum of experience to the position to represent diverse constituencies and to promote inclusive engagement. It’s not just about what my goals are for SHA; but what the membership values as goals.
If elected to serve SHA, what priorities would you emphasize?
My first priority is diversity; we must diversify the academy as much as our membership. There has been a decrease in anthropology degrees awarded over the past decade. As an organization we must do all we can to foster interest among undergraduates. Perhaps even earlier. The field schools I direct are diverse in terms of gender, ethnicity, age, and physical capability, and reflect the broad spectrum of students who wish to become archaeologists. We must increase our relevance to students. The SHA is a mature organization, but sometimes with maturity comes complacency. This past year we have learned what can be accomplished with teleconferencing and what cannot. What works we should keep. I plan to sustain the momentum for continual growth, gender equity, and inclusion. Leadership over the past few years has implemented critical infrastructure to make this feasible. My interdisciplinary experience enriches my perspective on Historical Archaeology at several scales. I see the boundaries between subfields as blurring. In my view, this breakdown of divisions is a good thing. I also view Terrestrial and Maritime as an antiquated binary. We must prioritize working collaboratively with Tribal partners as equals. My first ever SHA paper dealt with ethics. I will emphasize professional ethics and seek to strengthen the ethical posture of SHA. I have been an RPA member my entire career and support its mission. SHA should be a vanguard among organizations in developing the next generation of archaeological leadership.
Of course, we must maintain a robust conference schedule, remain financially stable, and programmatically nimble. This is a priority not simply for the future health of SHA, but to enable increasing opportunities where possible for expanded student participation. I am an archaeologist; that is my passion as I am sure it is yours. Education, however, is my life and I feel deeply that as important as research is, our principal responsibility is to education. Whether it is increasing public awareness of the value of archaeology, influencing policy makers, creating partnerships, or decolonizing the profession, education is at the core of my vision for SHA.
Richard Veit
Present Position: Professor of Anthropology and Interim Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Monmouth University
Education: Ph.D., Anthropology with a specialization in historical archaeology, University of Pennsylvania, 1997; M.A., Anthropology with a specialization in historical archaeology, The College of William and Mary, 1991; B.A. Summa Cum Laude, Anthropology, Minor in History, Drew University 1990
Professional Service to SHA and Other Societies: Society for Historical Archaeology: Conference Co-Chair, 2022; Board of Directors 2011–2014, Archives and History Committee 1999–present; Chair, Archives and History Committee 2006–2012; Elections and Nominations Committee 2002; Editorial Advisory Board: Memorials Editor 2008–2012, Book Reviews Editor 2012–2015
Council for Northeast Historical Archaeology: Chair 2019–2020; Executive Board 2002–2015 and 2019–Present; Elections Committee 2003, 2008, 2009; Trenton Conference Co-Organizer with Richard Hunter, 2005; and Long Branch Conference Co-Organizer with Ed Morin, 2014; Virtual Conference Co-Organizer with Meagan Ratini and Meta Janowitz, 2021
Middle Atlantic Archaeological Conference: President 2014–2016
New Jersey Historical Commission (Gubernatorial Appointment) 2012–Present: Chair Programs and Publications Committee
Archaeological Society of New Jersey: Bulletin Editor 2017–2019, President, 2007–2011, 1st Vice President-Education, 2004–2006, Recording Secretary 2012–Present, Treasurer 1998–2003, Executive Board Member 1994–1997
Association for Gravestone Studies: Editorial Board 2009–Present, Conference Co-Chair with Mark Nonestied 1998 and 2012
Research Interests: historical archaeology, monuments and commemoration, military sites archaeology, historic artifact analysis, vernacular architecture
Biographical Statement: I am an anthropological archaeologist with a focus on North American historical archaeology. My work as a historical archaeologist strives to give voice to individuals who have been silenced by history: minorities, women, industrial workers, soldiers, and other everyday people. Currently, I serve as Professor of Anthropology and Interim Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Monmouth University. I teach undergraduate and graduate courses on historical archaeology, mentor students, and co-direct an annual field school. My students and I have investigated a variety of sites including Edison’s Menlo Park Laboratory, Sandy Hook Lighthouse, Joseph Bonaparte’s Point Breeze Estate, and Morristown National Historical Park. I have also led fieldwork projects in Jamaica, Puerto Rico and India.
Before coming to Monmouth, I spent a decade working for cultural resource management firms. I have experienced many different aspects of the archaeological profession, working at a variety of levels from field technician to project manager. I continue to consult as a historical archaeologist, with a focus on cemetery preservation projects.
My interests are eclectic, and my publications reflect that eclecticism. I have written several scholarly books. They include Digging New Jersey’s Past (Rutgers 2002), New Jersey Cemeteries and Tombstones (w. Mark Nonestied, Rutgers 2008), The Historical Archaeology of the Delaware Valley (w. David Orr, Tennessee, 2014), The Archaeology of American Cemeteries and Gravemarkers (w. Sherene Baugher Florida, 2014), and Archaeologies of African-American Life in the Upper Mid-Atlantic (w. Michael Gall, Alabama 2017). I find historical archaeology to be a compelling way to learn about the past and a source of inspiration for a better future.
My current projects include a book about the archaeology of American religion with Sherene Baugher, and ongoing archaeological investigations of Revolutionary war camps at Morristown National Historical Park. I also have a research project at Orange Valley Estate in Jamaica, examining health and medical practices among enslaved people.
Given the qualifications and experience outlined in your biographical statement, what do you believe you can contribute to SHA if elected?
I believe that my hybrid academic-cultural resource management background makes me a strong candidate for this position. Currently, my primary employment is as a university faculty member. However, I have also had the opportunity to work at many different levels in cultural resource management from field technician to project manager. As a faculty member, I have successfully built undergraduate programs, and founded a successful M.A. program in Anthropology. I have been extensively involved in faculty governance and enjoy working with colleagues to build programs and organizations.
While I was a student, my mentors encouraged me to join archaeological organizations. This was sound advice as it helped me learn the craft of historical archaeology and helped me build a network of colleagues whose advice has helped me build a successful career. I have been an active participant in a variety of archaeological organizations, including the Council for Northeast Historical Archaeology, and the Society for Historical Archaeology. In 1991 I attended my first SHA conference in Kingston Jamaica. The experience was powerful, and I felt that I had found a community that I wanted to be part of. Subsequently, I had the opportunity to serve on several SHA committees, including the Society’s Board, Editorial Board, and History Committee. I saw how a dedicated cadre of volunteers working with a gifted professional executive director, can run a top-tier organization.
I have organized major regional conferences and am a conference co-chair for the 2022 Philadelphia SHA conference. As a Department Chair and a Dean, I have developed strong leadership skills and a clear vision, while also being flexible and responsive.
As President of the SHA, I would focus on growing the society, while maintaining its fiscal health and its intellectual breadth, and provide organized, informed, and level-headed leadership. I have seen what makes organizations function well and at the same time, I understand the challenges our professional societies face. I would be a tenacious advocate for the value of historical archaeology in these trying and unsettled times.
If elected to serve SHA, what priorities would you emphasize?
The Society for Historical Archaeology is at a crossroads. It has tremendous strengths: a high-quality peer-reviewed journal that remains readable and engaging, a copiously illustrated full-color newsletter, an outstanding annual conference that draws large numbers of attendees—despite the vicissitudes of January weather. On one level, all is well. However, we also face significant challenges, and I am energized about the possibility of addressing those challenges. First and foremost, we need to reverse the slow decline in our membership. We can do this by reducing costs where possible and developing additional revenue streams so that students and young professionals can afford to participate in the SHA. We should also look for ways to add value to membership through workshops and online resources. It is also important that we envision historical archaeology as a big tent, capable of holding many different perspectives and research interests. At the same time, we need to make sure that the Society for Historical Archaeology is a welcoming and safe space for all archaeologists.
Furthermore, we must be vigilant defenders of the legislation that supports so much archaeological research. We also need to spread the good news of historical archaeology. The archaeology that we do is the archaeology of us. It is the archaeology of the modern world; the world we live in. The work we do is directly relevant to the issues that shape our society: immigration, consumerism, capitalism, and social justice. Historical archaeology could not be more relevant. We need to do a better job of sharing the results of the work we do, not just with our colleagues and peers, but with the general public. We need to build an organization that reflects the diversity of modern America and welcomes diverse perspectives. Finally, we should go beyond studying the past to advocate for better, more inclusive future.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Alexandra Jones, Ph.D., RPA
Present Position: Executive Direction of Archaeology in the Community, History and Archaeology; Assistant Professor at Goucher College
Education: Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley; M.A., University of California, Berkeley; M.A., Howard University; Dual B.A., Howard University
Professional Service to SHA and Other Societies: SHA: Served on Nomination Committee and a current member of the Gender and Minority Committee, Member of International Network For Contemporary Archaeology in Scotland, Serves on District of Columbia’s Historic Preservation Review Board, Member of the Board of Directors for the Society of Black Archaeologists, Member of the Board of Directors of the St. Croix Archaeological Society, Academic Trustee for the Archaeological Institute of America, RPA: Member in good standing
Research Interests: community archaeology, education, African Diaspora archaeology
Biographical Statement: I have been an active member of SHA since 2006, and have served on the Nomination Committee and Gender and Minority Committee. I founded Archaeology in the Community in 2009, an archaeology education non-profit which provides accessible archaeology education to people of all ages. As the Executive Director, I have worked in St. Croix, USVI, Haiti, Belize and the continental United States teaching archaeology. I have been a professor and informal educator for over 19 years, during which I worked tirelessly to educate people nationally and internationally on the importance and power of archaeology. I was a Laboratory Manager for the Veterans Curation Project in Washington, DC where I trained and supervised veterans on the process of rehabilitating and curating federal archaeological and archival collections. I worked for PBS’s television show Time Team America as the Archaeology Field School Director, where I directed field schools for junior high and high school students at each of the sites for the 2013 season. Currently I am an Assistant Professor of History and Archaeology at Goucher College in Towson, Maryland.
As a researcher, I started in the field working with the historic Gibson Grove community, an African American community located in Cabin John, Maryland; 13 years later I am still working with that community in an activist role. I am a Co-PI for the Estate Little Princess Project in St. Croix, USVI where my research focus is on building capacity through youth education.
I serve on the District of Columbia’s Historic Preservation Review Board, Board of Directors for the Society of Black Archaeologists, the Board of Directors of the St. Croix Archaeological Society and am an Academic Trustee for the Archaeological Institute of America in an effort to make a meaningful contribution to the field of archaeology.
Beyond my research and role as an educator and activist, I devote a great deal of time to trying to create a discipline in which I can be proud to leave for my students to continue on after me.
Given the qualifications and experience outlined in your biographical statement, what do you believe you can con-tribute to SHA if elected?
In my personal and professional life, I have strived to create spaces where marginalized communities can be heard, felt supported, welcomed, and above all seen. As the Society for Historical Archaeology continues to work towards inclusion and equity, my experience will be an asset. I have a demonstrated track record of working with and helping people understand the importance of archaeology and its role in our past, present, and future. I recognize the strengths and opportunities that our discipline and professional organization has moving forward. I have and remain committed to championing inclusion, equity, and anti-racism. I believe that through embracing the talents and skills of others, the profession and the society will be better suited to support the archaeology of the next generation. This includes ensuring that archaeology is more accessible to everyone, especially people with disabilities. Through my current roles on several archaeology boards and working groups, I could serve as a liaison between the organization to keep SHA at the forefront of these conversations. It is important that SHA take a stand and serve as a leader on topics that threaten the future of the discipline.
If elected to serve SHA, what priorities would you emphasize?
To demonstrate the importance of archaeology and the stories we tell, I would, first, prioritize improving our ability to communicate with people outside the discipline, specifically the public, elected officials and the media. By galvanizing these three groups, we have a greater chance to highlight the threats to the discipline and our sites and to meet our responsibilities as stewards of the past. Outreach to broad public audiences, local and descendant communities, and elected and regulatory officials will help ensure our nation’s commitment to understanding our past, improving our future, and protecting the resources and records of archaeological and historical knowledge.
Secondly, as someone with an extensive background in teaching and working with the youth, I would encourage outreach to primary, secondary, and undergraduate students in marginalized communities. This will help the field and the professional society diversify its membership and work towards inclusion and equity in the field, in the canon, and in the profession as a whole. In order to have an impactful organization we need the voices and talents of all.
Third, I would aid in strengthening our relationships with partner organizations and increase outreach to the global historical archaeology community. These relationships can bolster conversations about what community archaeology is and can look like in the future. It is through these dialogues that we as a disciple build a stronger bond with those who vote on federal budgets, historic preservation registration and other legislation that directly affects our discipline.
Finally, I would like to see more effort devoted to providing the best resources and professional training to the upcoming generation of historical archaeologists. This includes ensuring that systemic barriers, such as the prohibitive costs of memberships and conferences, are addressed.
Dr. Alicia Odewale
Present Position: Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of Tulsa
Education: Doctor of Philosophy from University of Tulsa, Masters in Anthropology from University of Tulsa
Professional Service to SHA and Other Societies: I have served as session chair, discussant, panelist, and as student volunteer for SHAs in the past but have not had the opportunity to serve in other areas of the organization. I also continue to serve within the Society of Black Archaeologists as a co-director of the Estate Little Princess Archaeological Field School and as membership coordinator, which used to be under the umbrella of SHA but is now grown to be its own non-profit entity.
Research Interests: African Diaspora archaeology, Danish West Indies/Virgin Islands archaeology and history, Caribbean archaeology, urban enslavement and freedom, community-based collaborative research, comparative/collections-based research, DAACS, archaeology of the Tulsa Race Massacre/Greenwood District, ceramic analysis, transferware studies, resistance, heritage preservation, reconciliation and restorative justice archaeology, antiracist/decolonized archaeology
Biographical Statement: Dr. Alicia Odewale is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at The University of Tulsa. She specializes in African Diaspora archaeology in the Caribbean and Southeastern United States. Since 2014 she has been researching archaeological sites related to Afro-Caribbean heritage in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands but has recently started researching and teaching about sites of Black heritage in her home state of Oklahoma. While she continues to research both urban and rural sites of enslavement in St. Croix, her latest research project based in Tulsa, OK examines the lingering impact and historical trauma stemming from the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre on the Greenwood community, using restorative justice archaeology and radical mapping techniques. Her research interests include the archaeology of enslavement and freedom in urban contexts, Caribbean archaeology, rural and urban comparative analyses, community-based archaeology, ceramic analysis, transferware studies, mapping historical trauma from the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, and investigations into different forms of cultural resistance. She is the co-creator of the #TulsaSyllabus, an online resource guide that dives into the history and archaeology of Black enslavement, landownership, anti-black violence, and the rise of prosperous Black communities in Oklahoma. Her research has received awards and support from the American Anthropological Association, the National Science Foundation, the Society of Historical Archaeology, the Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, Tulsa Community Foundation, SREB-State Doctoral Scholars Program, and the Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative Slavery (DAACS). In addition to her role as faculty at The University of Tulsa, she also serves as the director of the Historical Archaeology and Heritage Studies Laboratory at TU and serves as the co-creator of the Estate Little Princess Archaeological Field School in St. Croix and the Mapping Historical Trauma in Tulsa from 1921-2021 project.
Given the qualifications and experience outlined in your biographical statement, what do you believe you can contribute to SHA if elected?
If elected to serve SHA, I believe my presence on the board would add a much needed perspective that will only enhance the work the board has begun in recent years. My unique perspective as an educator committed to the development of antiracist pedagogy, an African Diaspora archaeologist, a Black woman, a community-centered Black feminist researcher, a native Tulsan, and a mom—has led me to realize just how challenging it can be to try to navigate the world of academia and archaeology, when it has and continues to exclude people of all different social identities from entering the field. Navigating my different identities alongside my colleagues who are all fighting to decolonize the field has given me a deeper understanding of the systemic problems in our discipline but also how much work would be needed across the board to see meaningful change. If elected, I am committed to moving the needle toward action so that the next generation of SHA student and professional members truly feel welcome and a sense of belonging within this community of scholars.
If elected to serve SHA, what priorities would you emphasize?
If elected to serve SHA, I would focus on increasing student engagement in the organization beyond student volunteer and internship opportunities, but actively learning from our youngest members and those who have opted out of the organization all together, what past and present problems they see with the SHA and invite them into the process of helping to solve those problems. Tackling big issues like the toxic social climates that many graduate and undergraduate archaeology students experience in field schools and throughout their college years may not be feasible to solve during my short term, but my goal would be to at least make these and many other issues known at all levels so that we can begin to formulate both short and long term actionable steps for the organization to move forward. I am also interested in doing a deeper dive to capture more statistical data about the population of archaeologists that make up SHA’s membership. Looking into how many different social identities are part of this current body of scholars, who are the folks that are still not being adequately represented, and what sites, groups, and areas of research are still being neglected. The goal for me would be to begin to breakdown those gatekeeping practices that have been in place for far too long and work to see that the population of historical archaeologists in the US is reflective of the demographics of the US in general and intentionally representative of various communities of color.
Benjamin Pykles
Present Position: Historic Sites Curator, LDS Church History Department
Education: Ph.D., Anthropology, with a specialization in Historical Archaeology, University of Pennsylvania, 2006; B.A., Anthropology, Brigham Young University, 2000
Professional Service to SHA and other societies: Chair, SHA History Committee, 2012–present, Editor, “Images of the Past,” SHA Newsletter, 2009–present, Member, SHA History Committee, 2004–2012, Member, SHA Student Sub-Committee, 2001–2004
Research Interests: cultural persistence and change, history of historical archaeology, 19th- and 20th-century American West, archaeology of religion
Biographical Statement: Over the last twenty years, I have fulfilled a variety of roles in the SHA, including serving as the chair of the History Committee (2012–present) and as the editor of the “Images of the Past” column in the SHA Newsletter (2009–present). I’ve worked with many different groups of talented board members and committee members over the years and have gained wisdom and experience from them all. In my career as a historical archaeologist, I have been fortunate to wear multiple hats across many dimensions of our discipline. From 2006 to 2011, I was an assistant professor of anthropology at the State University of New York at Potsdam, where I taught courses in historical archaeology and hosted field schools. I occasionally still teach historical archaeology and I regularly involve students and faculty members in my ongoing fieldwork. My research and publications have focused on cultural persistence and change in religious settings, remote-sensing techniques at historic sites, and the history of historical archaeology. For the last ten years, I have been employed as a historic sites curator for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah. In this capacity, I assist with planning, development, and interpretation at over twenty historic sites in Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Wyoming, and Utah, including three National Historic Landmarks. I also help identify, manage, protect, preserve, and analyze cultural resources on Church-owned land throughout the United States. In my present position, I regularly consult with federal and state agencies and American Indian tribes on projects related to resources that are significant to Latter-day Saint history.
Given the qualifications and experience outlined in your biographical statement, what do you believe you can contribute to SHA if elected?
If elected to the SHA board of directors, I will contribute a broad and balanced perspective on the strengths of our discipline and the challenges we face going forward, which I have developed as a result of my responsibilities and experiences in various dimensions of historical archaeology over the last twenty years (i.e. research, cultural resource management, teaching, public outreach, and professional service). I will also bring an understanding of the operations of the SHA and positive working relationships with other committee chairs and board members, which I have acquired while serving on SHA committees over the past twenty years. Much of my current professional work is collaborative in nature, and I will bring that same collaborative spirit and leadership to any responsibilities I have as a board member. Through my research into the history of historical archaeology, I have acquired a solid understanding of our discipline’s past, which I believe sheds important light on how we can successfully navigate the future. Finally, as a historical archaeologist working in Utah, I will represent a geographic and research area—the American West—that tends to be underrepresented in our discipline and professional community.
If elected to serve SHA, what priorities would you emphasize?
If elected to the SHA board of directors, I will do my best to support and represent the broad interests of the society. In particular, I will emphasize the following priorities:
The global protection and preservation of cultural resources through government outreach and advocacy, public education, and ethical scholarship
The promotion and dissemination of quality historical archaeology research from around the world
Engaging, enjoyable, and affordable annual meetings
Continuing efforts to ensure that the society and its resources are accessible to students and young professionals, who constitute the future of our society and discipline
Targeted membership and development campaigns to continually improve our society
Strengthened relationships with partner organizations and increased outreach to the global historical archaeology community
Krysta Ryzewski
Present Position: Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Anthropology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Education: Ph.D., Anthropology, Brown University, 2008; MPhil, Archaeological Heritage Management, University of Cambridge, 2003; B.A., Archaeology, Boston University, 2001
Professional Service to SHA and Other Societies: SHA: Conference Co-Chair, SHA Detroit, 2026; Conference Committee, 2019–present; History Committee, 2019–present, Midwest Historical Archaeology Conference: Standing Committee Member, 2014–present; Conference Co-Organizer, 2016, Midwest Archaeological Conference: Editorial Board, MAC Midwest Archaeological Perspectives book series, University of Notre Dame Press, 2017–present; MAC dissertation prize committee, 2017–present, State Historic Preservation Review Board of Michigan: Member, 2017–present (gubernatorial appointment); Vice Chair, 2021–present (elected), University Press of Florida: Co-Editor, The American Experience in Archaeological Perspective book series, 2020–present, Preservation Detroit: Board of Directors, 2019–present, Conference on Michigan Archaeology, 2013–present; elected Fellow, 2018, Explorers Club: Fellow National, 2018–present (elected), CHAT (Contemporary and Historical Archaeology in Theory group, UK): Standing Committee Member, 2008–2013, Society for American Archaeology: Ethics Bowl Committee and Co-organizer, 20122–014, TAG: Conference Planning Committee, Brown University, 2009–2010, Register of Professional Archaeologists, 2021–present
Research Interests: cities, diaspora, land use, applied archaeology, community archaeology, social justice, creative expression, materials science, historic preservation, and advocacy; regional expertise: North America and Caribbean
Biographical Statement: My archaeological research examines how people navigated the unprecedented social pressures, systemic inequalities, and environmental changes that accompanied the development of North American cities and Caribbean settlements. Over the past two decades I’ve conducted fieldwork on land and underwater in the Midwest, New England, and Caribbean on sites ranging from pre-Columbian to contemporary periods. My current research activities are divided between Michigan and the Caribbean. In Detroit and neighboring Hamtramck I work with a number of heritage organizations and local communities on the research of sites related to the displacement of working class, immigrant, and African American communities during 19th- and 20th-century urban renewal processes. In the Caribbean I’ve co-directed the diachronic Survey and Landscape Archaeology on Montserrat Project since 2010 in partnership with the Montserrat National Trust. I am also involved in a new multi-year collaborative heritage project on St. Croix (via Aarhus University) that is examining the enduring materialities of colonialism that remain across the island.
I prioritize practicing archaeology in collaboration with local residents, community organizations, and government agencies. Through these partnerships we apply archaeological findings to address the legacies of social justice issues, contribute to historic preservation efforts, and foster sustainable heritage management. I also involve my technical expertise in materials science and digital storytelling in my scholarship and in disseminating results. I believe educational outreach to non-professionals is a key component of professional archaeological practice. In 2013, as part of the Unearthing Detroit Project, I designed the Time Jumpers program, a curriculum module that introduces middle school students to archaeology. My Wayne State students and I have since introduced Time Jumpers to seven schools and several annual public educational events in Metro Detroit. In 2017, I received the John L. Cotter Award from SHA in recognition of my community-based research and educational outreach in Detroit.
Given the qualifications and experience outlined in your biographical statement, what do you believe you can contribute to SHA if elected?
I joined SHA in 2002 as a first-year Ph.D. student. Since then I have benefited tremendously from the many opportunities that SHA offers for professional development and intellectual engagement, including conferences, trainings, networking, and committee service. I am honored to be nominated to run for a position on the board. If elected I would look forward to giving back to the Society by contributing my leadership experience, vision, and organizational skills in the interest of sustaining the strength of the organization and supporting the next generation of professional archaeologists.
Based on my qualifications and experience, I would contribute to SHA on three fronts. First, I will assist with ongoing efforts to promote diversity within SHA and within the professions where historical archaeologists work. I serve as Chair of the Anthropology Department at Wayne State University, an urban research institution where the majority of our student body is composed of students who are first-generation, from low-income households, and/or affiliated with groups who are historically underrepresented in higher education. Our student body represents the constituencies that many of us hope to recruit into SHA, but there remain significant barriers to access that require attention by the SHA leadership. As a board member I will draw on my own administrative experience with recruiting students, developing curricula and internships, securing funding, and establishing a departmental anti-bias and anti-racism initiative to assist with making SHA and our field more diverse and inclusive.
Second, I will draw on my expertise in community archaeology, public-facing scholarship, and advocacy to assist in boosting the public profile of historical archaeology among our colleagues and the public. I will contribute my experience working with media outlets and government agencies to promote SHA’s mission and to lobby on behalf of the issues that matter to our membership.
Third, I will contribute personally as a member of two groups who are underrepresented among the SHA leadership: the LGBTQ community and Midwestern archaeologists. I will work to increase their visibility in SHA and advocate for issues that concern these groups.
If elected to serve SHA, what priorities would you emphasize?
As a board member, I would emphasize three priorities: recruitment and diversity, the connections between archaeology and social justice issues, and accessibility. First, I would prioritize developing recruitment programs oriented towards increasing the diversity of SHA’s membership. Based on my decade’s worth of mentoring and administrative experiences at Wayne State, I understand the barriers that students and young professionals face in accessing training, field schools, attending conferences, balancing caregiving responsibilities with work, and thinking about future employment. I would bring to the board pragmatic approaches for increasing access, outreach, and funding opportunities to support these colleagues. I would also advocate for the strengthening of anti-bias and anti-racism programming within SHA in order to make the Society as a whole an inclusive and even more collegial organization.
Second, I would emphasize positioning archaeology as an agent for transformative change in our society, much as I do in my own work. Based on my experience as a member of the State Historic Preservation Review Board of Michigan and the Board of Directors of Preservation Detroit, I would be prepared to take targeted, programmatic action to promote archaeology as a vehicle for impactful change by re-examining historic preservation policies, lobbying for legislation, promoting dialogues about historical injustices, and assisting with the development of educational programming.
Finally, I would focus on broader issues of accessibility. I believe accessibility involves making archaeology relevant to the public, but also structuring the discipline in ways that make it a supportive environment for all who wish to practice professional archaeology. I am a strong proponent of translating archaeological research into accessible and impactful outputs, whether by writing for the public, digital storytelling, blogging, interactive exhibits, or gaming. As a board member I would prioritize boosting the public exposure of historical archaeology and locating support for members who wish to develop public-facing work. As a step towards making the discipline more accessible, I would also focus on making the SHA and its events more welcoming and accommodating for individuals with disabilities, as well as for parents/caregivers of young children.
NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS COMMITTEE
Ayana Omilade Flewellen
Present Position: President-Elect of Society of Black Archaeologists
Education: Ph.D., Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin; M.A., African and African Diaspora Studies; University of Texas at Austin
Professional Service to SHA and Other Societies: Gender and Minority Affairs Committee since 2010
Research Interests: Black Feminist Theory, historical archaeology, maritime heritage conservation, public and community-engaged archaeology, processes of identity formations, representations of slavery
Biographical Statement: Ayana Omilade Flewellen (she/her) is a Black Feminist, an archaeologist, a storyteller, and an artist. As a scholar of anthropology and African and African Diaspora Studies, Flewellen’s intellectual genealogy is shaped by critical theory rooted in Black feminist epistemology and pedagogy. This epistemological backdrop not only constructs the way she designs, conducts and produces her scholarship but acts as foundational to how she advocates for greater diversity within the field of archaeology and within the broader scope of academia. Flewellen is the cofounder and current president-elect of the Society of Black Archaeologists and sits on the Board of Diving With A Purpose. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Riverside. Her research and teaching interests address Black Feminist Theory, historical archaeology, maritime heritage conservation, public and community-engaged archaeology, processes of identity formations, and representations of slavery. Flewellen has been featured in National Geographic, Science Magazine and PBS; and regularly presents her work at institutions including The National Museum for Women in the Arts.
Given the qualifications and experience outlined in your biographical statement, what do you believe you can contribute to SHA if elected?
I’ve made it my mission to foster the future of an antiracist discipline now. My work as the co-founder of SBA along with the years of labor I’ve contributed to the SHA’s Gender and Minority Affairs Committee, is a demonstration of my commitment to this vision.
If elected to serve SHA, what priorities would you emphasize?
If elected to serve the SHA I will prioritize efforts of diversity, equity, and inclusion of historically excluded and underrepresented groups.
Lindsay M. Montgomery
Present Position: SHA member
Education: Ph.D., Anthropology, Stanford University; BA, Anthropology & Human Rights, Barnard College (Columbia University)
Professional Service to SHA and Other Societies: To date I have not served on any standing committees for the SHA. I have served as the student member at large for the Archaeology Division of the American Anthropological Society from 2014–2016 and am currently a member of the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) Task Force on Decolonization as well as a member of the SAA Social Justice Task Force.
Research Interests: Native North America, Indigenous archaeology, interethnic interaction, settler colonialism, ethnohistory, oral history
Biographical Statement: Lindsay M. Montgomery received her Ph.D. in anthropology from Stanford University in 2015 and is currently an assistant professor in the School of Anthropology at the University of Arizona. Her research focuses on the material culture and history of Indigenous peoples in the North American West and draws on a broad range of methods including, non-collection based archaeological survey, geospatial analysis, geo-chemical sourcing, archival research, object studies in museum collections, and oral traditions. To date, her work has largely taken two forms: investigations of the material practices of mobile Indigenous groups in the North American Southwest and studies of Indigenous responses to and experiences of settler colonialism from the 19th to the 21st centuries. In both lines of research, she works to center the priorities of Native peoples while drawing on Indigenous ontologies and epistemologies to document persistence, resistance, and culturally grounded adaptation.
Her current research revolves around a multi-institutional collaborative project with Picuris Pueblo in New Mexico. Drawing on methods in Indigenous archaeology and collaborative community-based research, the project seeks to understand the nature and extent of Picuris’ role within the evolving inter-ethnic economic networks of the northern Rio Grande between 1400-1750 CE. Montgomery is author of A History of Mobility in New Mexico: Mobile Landscape and Persistent Places (Routledge Press, 2021). This book is grounded in critical Indigenous philosophy and applies core principles within Indigenous thought to the archaeological record to challenge conventional understandings of occupation, use, and abandonment. She is also co-author alongside Chip Colwell of Objects of Survivance (University of Colorado Press, 2019), which investigates the history and legacy of Indian Education among several American Indian communities across the American West. In addition to these scholarly publications, her work has appeared in public-oriented media including PBS and magazines like SAPIENS and Archaeology Southwest.
Given the qualifications and experience outlined in your biographical statement, what do you believe you can contribute to SHA if elected?
Historically the Society for Historical Archaeology has had a strong focus on the archaeology of the eastern seaboard of the United States. Although this trend is gradually changing, as a member of the SHA nominations committee, I would work to deliberately expand the regional focus of the organization to integrate research more comprehensively from the North American Southwest and Great Plains. In addition to expanding the regional focus of the SHA, I would seek to center archaeological and historical work on Indigenous peoples that specifically uses collaborative community-based research methods. In line with these efforts, I would prioritize the participation of more Indigenous scholars, particularly junior scholars, in the SHA as well as seeking ways to integrate Tribal Historic Preservation Officers and other Indigenous community representatives more thoroughly into the meetings. These efforts would represent a significant step toward the diversification of the SHA annual meetings while pushing forward a more public-facing community-oriented ethics of praxis within the organization.
If elected to serve SHA, what priorities would you emphasize?
See statement above
Douglas Ross, Ph.D., RPA
Present Position: Project Manager and Principal Investigator in Historical Archaeology, Albion Environmental, Santa Cruz, CA
Education: Ph.D., Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, 2009; M.A., Anthropology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 2002; B.A., Archaeology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, 1999
Professional Service to SHA and Other Societies: Current Research Coordinator (Canada-West), SHA Newsletter, 2013–2017; Program Committee, SHA Conference, Seattle, 2015; Editorial Committee, Archaeological Society of British Columbia, 2010–2013
Research Interests: Chinese and Japanese diasporas, transnational migration, industry and labor, consumerism, ceramic analysis, western North America
Biographical Statement: I am a Senior Archaeologist at Albion Environmental in Santa Cruz, California, where I serve as a Project Manager and Principal Investigator specializing in American Period historical archaeology. Previously, I was an instructor in Archaeology/Anthropology at Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia. At Albion, I have directed projects ranging from small-scale Phase I inventories to large Phase III data recovery excavations. Research has included urban working-class neighborhoods, a Jesuit College, an industrial tannery, a Mexican/Early American Period ranch, 19th and 20th century Native American settlements, and a Depression-era migrant labor camp.
I am a leading expert on the archaeology of Chinese and Japanese immigrants in North America, focusing on transnational consumer habits and the material dimensions of diasporic identity formation among Asian immigrant communities. I also specialize in Japanese ceramics recovered from historic sites. My ongoing research focuses on the everyday lives of 19th and early 20th century Asian salmon cannery workers in British Columbia, developing interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks for the archaeology of the Asian diaspora, and chronicling the history and scholarship of this burgeoning sub-discipline. This agenda is most clearly articulated in my book An Archaeology of Asian Transnationalism (University Press of Florida, 2013). Besides the western United States and Canada, I have also participated in archaeological fieldwork on historic sites in Ontario, Virginia, England, Ecuador, and Jamaica, spanning the 16th through 20th centuries.
In addition to my background in academic and resource management archaeology, I have been an active participant in the SHA. In 2015, I served on the Program Committee for the SHA conference in Seattle, working as part of a team to organize the sessions and provide on-site support. Between 2013 and 2017, I served as a Current Research Coordinator for the SHA Newsletter, soliciting research contributions from across western Canada.
Given the qualifications and experience outlined in your biographical statement, what do you believe you can contribute to SHA if elected?
If elected, I bring to the SHA a diverse range of experience in historical archaeology spanning over 25 years, having attended my first field school in 1995 at the site of a 19th century naval and military establishment in southern Ontario. Since then, I have studied and worked in a range of academic and resource management contexts in both Canada and the U.S. and directed or participated in fieldwork spanning the early colonial period through the mid-20th century in eastern and western North America, Britain, South America, and the Caribbean. Such experience includes residential, industrial, military, agricultural, educational, and institutional sites occupied by people of Chinese, Japanese, Native American, English, Spanish, and African ancestry.
I have participated in student government, sat on hiring committees, taught field schools, peer reviewed scholarly publications and grant applications, co-edited a thematic journal issue, and served on the editorial staff of a regional society publication. I have attended SHA conferences regularly over the past decade (as symposium organizer, presenter, discussant, committee member, and workshop instructor), and helped organize the Seattle conference in 2015.
As a senior archaeologist in a small resource management firm, I have extensive experience managing projects, developing scopes and budgets, supervising staff, coordinating with clients, agencies, and descendant communities, and negotiating complex regulatory environments. All of these skills are directly transferable to the conferences, committees, publications, and advocacy that are the heart and soul of the SHA. Furthermore, my wide-ranging experience has exposed me to the many faces of our discipline at home and abroad and to the many opportunities, challenges, and unique ways of doing historical archaeology experienced by its many global practitioners.
If elected to serve SHA, what priorities would you emphasize?
If elected to the Nominations and Elections Committee, I would focus on finding ways to increase participation in the SHA at all levels of the organization. Societies like ours require active and ongoing participation from a diverse membership to be successful in our goals of supporting innovative research, standing up for the rights of heritage stakeholders, participating in political advocacy, and engaging in public outreach.
One of the greatest challenges faced by the SHA is transforming passive members into active participants who help organize conferences, edit publications, serve in leadership positions, handle finances, and sit on a host of committees that perform the basic functions that allow the Society to operate effectively. Part of the challenge is motivating members, most of whom are already overworked, to commit additional time and energy to the SHA.
Another roadblock is that access to SHA committees and other elected positions is often perceived by non-active members as a kind of black box: mysterious, exclusive, and poorly advertised. Among the solutions is to enhance the visibility of committees, their activities, and membership opportunities on the Society’s website, at conferences, and elsewhere. Equally important is to increase outreach among students and young professionals, to encourage early participation and cultivate a lifelong commitment to the Society, so that by the time they run for senior positions they have decades of experience under their belts.
These should be among the primary goals of the Nominations and Elections Committee, and I am eager to work with the existing team to draw passive members out from the shadows into positions of leadership.
Paola A. Schiappacasse
Present Position: Adjunct Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Puerto Rico
Education: Ph.D., Syracuse University
Professional Service to SHA and Other Societies: SHA Collection and Curation Committee (2018–present, member) and Newsletter (2021–present, regional editor); RPA Nominating Committee (2021–present, member), SAA Board of Directors (2021–present, director at large), Committee on Museums, Collections and Curation (January 2018–2021, member), and Network of State and Provincial Archaeology Education (2017–2021, coordinator)
Research Interests: archaeology, architecture and history of the Spanish Caribbean; museum collections and curation; gender, ethnicity, and minorities; health and sanitation, documentary archaeology, ethnohistory, and decolonization of archaeology
Biographical Statement: Dr. Paola Schiappacasse is an anthropologist who specializes in Caribbean historical archaeology. She has a BA in History from Eastern Connecticut State University, an M.A. in Puerto Rican Studies and History from the Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y del Caribe, an M.A. in Museum Studies and Ph.D. in anthropology from Syracuse University. Currently, she is as an adjunct professor at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras and has been invited faculty in graduate programs in Puerto Rico, Colombia, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic. She has extensive experience working in CRM in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, the U.S. Virgin Islands and continental USA. In addition, she has served as archaeological collections consultant for museums and historic preservation projects; and is in various editorial advisory boards. In the last decade, while working in academia, she has concentrated her efforts to shifting the predominance of precolonial studies in Puerto Rico to a growing interest in historical archaeology. This has resulted in an increase on the number of students pursuing graduate degrees in historical archaeology.
Given the qualifications and experience outlined in your biographical statement, what do you believe you can contribute to SHA if elected?
My involvement with the Society for Historical Archaeology started when I was a graduate student and more recently has included mentoring undergraduate and graduate students to present at the annual conference. If elected to the Nominations and Elections Committee I can contribute the experience acquired working in academia and CRM, and the connections made throughout my career to make sure the interests and needs of our membership play an active role in the discussions and future plans for SHA. My transdisciplinary background permits me to envision collaborative initiatives with other fields to make archaeological research stronger and appealing to the general public. Also, my involvement with other associations, institutions and organizations has given me the opportunity to further cultivate a sense of camaraderie and collaboration while working on a common goal for the benefit of our discipline. Furthermore, having had the opportunity to work in Latin America and the Caribbean has given me a wider perspective on ways in which we can continue to exchange ideas and experiences.
If elected to serve SHA, what priorities would you emphasize?
My interest in serving in the Nominations and Elections Committee lies in the opportunity to help the organization identify a pool of candidates that represents a variety of backgrounds in order to allow for more inclusion and diversity. Broader representation will allow SHA to actively promote and achieve anti-racist and anti-colonial archaeologies and tackle other issues related to sexism, classism and ableism. Another priority will be the incorporation of international colleagues and students in the work promoted by SHA.
ACUA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Amy Borgens
Present Position: State Marine Archeologist, Archeology Division, Texas Historical Commission (THC)
Education: doctoral candidate, Texas State University, Department of Geography (2019–); M.A., Nautical Archeology Program, Texas A&M University (2003); B.A., Fine Arts, Purdue University (1993)
Professional Service to SHA and Other Societies: Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA), conference co-chair, Fort Worth 2017; participation in SHA’s public archeology conference forums in 2011, 2017, and 2018. Led a tour for the SHA Conference, Austin 2011. Council of Texas Archeologists (CTA), Standards and Guidelines (S&G) Committee, member, 2017–present; CTA S&G Report Guidelines Subcommittee, chair, 2019–present; Texas Navy Association, Board of Directors 2016–2017; Texas Navy Association, History Committee Chair 2016–2017, 2019; NOAA Marine Protected Areas Cultural Resources Working Group 2014–2015
Research Interests: coastal archaeology, Gulf of Mexico maritime history and underwater archeology, Texas underwater archeology, climate change impacts to Texas coastal sites, survey methodologies and guidance
Biographical Statement: I was appointed State Marine Archeologist at the THC in June 2010. As the State Marine Archeologist, I am responsible for the preservation, protection, and investigation of shipwrecks and other submerged sites in all state-owned waters. Prior to my employment at the THC, I worked in cultural resource management (CRM) on both terrestrial and underwater archeological projects. I have worked in the field of Texas maritime archeology since 1997 and have been associated with several notable Texas shipwreck projects, including La Belle (1686) and USS Westfield (1863). In addition, I assisted in the excavation of Oklahoma’s only known shipwreck site, Heroine (1838), and participated in the remotely operated vehicle investigations of early 19th-century shipwrecks at depths exceeding 4,000 feet off the coast of Louisiana (the Mardi Gras and Monterrey Shipwreck Projects). Collectively, I have recorded historic shipwrecks dating from the Byzantine Period to the mid-20th century and have worked on projects in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, Canada, Turkey, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Falkland Islands.
My specializations include early nineteenth-century Gulf of Mexico maritime history and the study of historic small arms artifact assemblages. My experience in the field of archeology includes wreck excavation and documentation, conservation, artifact photography, and illustration. As an author or coauthor, I have collectively produced more than 50 CRM reports and articles in peer-reviewed journals and industry newsletters, including (as an author and co-editor) La Belle: The Archeology of a 17th Century Ship of New World Colonization, recipient of the 2017 Keith Muckelroy Award.
Given your qualifications and experience, what do you believe you can contribute to the
ACUA/SHA if elected?
My experience in underwater archeology encompasses volunteer work, academia, cultural resources management, and regulatory policy administration and creation. In addition, I have worked with avocational archeologists (the THC’s Texas Archeological Stewardship Network and regional archeological associations), currently manage student interns, and work with staff at Texas coastal/maritime museums to collaborate in the local presentation of the state’s maritime history. I highly value the role of public outreach within our field and pursue opportunities to share these stories of discovery, history, and archeology in conference proceedings, local/regional public outreach events, and as a university guest lecturer constituting upwards of a dozen talks a year (pre-pandemic). These experiences, I believe, would benefit the ACUA/SHA as I have worked in a variety of archeological environments interfacing academic investigations, community service, policy creation/administration, volunteer and academic collaborations, and educational/public outreach. I strongly support student mentoring in our field and activity work in this endeavor as a resource at the SHA conferences, through the THC student internship program, and as a annual quest lecturer (single Spring semester course) at the Nautical Archaeology Program at Texas A&M University.
Though an underwater archeologist by training, I have worked on both underwater and land archeological investigations. The underwater investigations in which I have participated include high-visibility dive projects and deep-sea exploration with much of my work occurring in black-water environments. I believe these experiences create a broad spectrum understanding of the field of archeology, bridging avocational, academic, public, and regulatory archeology for both land and marine investigations.
If elected, what priorities would you emphasize taking into consideration the ACUA and SHA missions and goals, ongoing committee activities, and the management and financial challenges of the society?
There are four areas that are personal priorities (that my job provides ample opportunities for) that intersect with main ACUA/SHA goals: survey standards, student mentoring, the importance of public outreach, and also SRC awareness. I would greatly like to contribute towards development of ACUA industry best practices/survey standards to strengthen ACUA’s advisory role in the community. Along with other managers in SHA’s annual Government Maritime Managers Forum, I have assisted many states (and Japan, interestingly) with the development of their underwater guidelines since being hired by the THC in 2010. I also served such a role in the NOAA MAP workgroup in developing web content, best practices guidance. I have created a state POC maritime POC contact list that provides key summary information on individual states underwater guidance (ACUA has a draft of this document).
As a frequent manager and collaborator with undergraduate and graduate student interns, and as a student intern supervisor, I hope to assist the ACUA/SHA in its efforts to appeal and encourage student participation in the conferences and develop research opportunities to assist in their professional development (Education/Student Early Career Professional Mentorship Committees). I train students in artifact processing, documentation, and photography using agency collections to help in the development of applied skills. I also work closely with graduate and undergraduate students to assist with and encourage any Texas-oriented maritime studies projects (I have several ongoing currently). I feel very strongly about student mentoring which is why I initiated the underwater student internship at the THC soon after starting with the agency. Students participate in and assist in THC underwater surveys and coastal site assessments when these occur, as well as conducting research, and coauthoring blogs. I frequently present talks to the public and public archeology fairs to introduce the uninitiated to the realm of underwater archeology (SCR Awareness Workshop Committee). Many of the mission statements and goals of ACUA are already main components of my professional environment and topics I care greatly about.
Gregory D. Cook
Present Position: Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of West Florida
Education: Ph.D., Anthropology, Syracuse University, 2012; M.A., Anthropology, Texas A&M University, 1997; B.A., Anthropology, Indiana University, 1989
Professional Service to SHA and Other Societies: My first SHA presentation was in 1993, and I have been a constant presence at the conference ever since. Along with over fifteen research presentations, I also served on multiple panels and discussion boards, and participated as a presenter in three ACUA Underwater Cultural Heritage Awareness Workshops. Outside of SHA, I am co-chair of the Florida Public Archaeology Network, Chair of the Dive Control Board at the University of West Florida, and have represented UWF at the American Academy of Underwater Sciences meetings.
Research Interests: ship construction, underwater mapping and excavation, remote sensing, maritime trade, scientific diving, maritime connections in the Atlantic World (Africa, Europe and the Americas)
Biographical Statement: My career in maritime archaeology began in 1992, when I entered the nautical archaeology program at Texas A&M University. Prior to this, as an undergraduate I spent a year studying abroad at the University of Malawi in southeast Africa, which peaked my interest in early European maritime contact with Africa. I entered Texas A&M with the hopes of pursuing maritime archaeology in West Africa. Due to a lack of opportunities in this research path, I joined the Columbus Caravels Archaeological Project, spending two summers in Jamaica searching for vessels from Columbus’ fourth voyage to the Americas. Although we did not succeed in locating these ships, we did discover five other wrecks through the use of sub-bottom sonar. I received a Fulbright fellowship to excavate one of these vessels, an eighteenth-century colonial sloop that had been abandoned after long service at sea. After completing my M.A., I worked as a CRM archaeologist, gaining field and remote sensing experience. I joined the crew excavating the seventeenth-century French shipwreck La Belle, before beginning my Ph.D. at Syracuse University. I was awarded a National Geographic grant to conduct the first maritime remote sensing survey in Ghana, leading to the discovery of a seventeenth-century Dutch vessel that had sunk off of Elmina with a cargo of trade goods. I was hired as faculty at the University of West Florida in 2004. I am co-P.I. for investigations of wrecks from the 1559 Tristán de Luna expedition, which saw the destruction of seven vessels due to a catastrophic hurricane. Three vessels from this fleet have been found, and we are actively searching for the others as part of our summer field schools. During my time at UWF, I initiated multiple investigations of local wreck sites, dating from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries.
Sample of Professional Publications:
Cook, Gregory, John Bratten and John Worth 2018 “New Discoveries: Epilogue” in R. Smith (ed.) Florida’s Lost Galleon: The Emanuel Point Shipwreck. Gainesville, University Press of Florida.
Cook, Gregory D. and Lois Swanick 2017 “Navigational and Related Instruments” in J. Bruseth, A. Borgens, B. Jones and E. Ray (eds.) La Belle: The Archaeology of a Seventeenth Century Ship of New World Colonization. Texas A&M University Press, 332–350.Cook, Gregory D., Rachel L. Horlings, Andrew Pietruszka 2016 “Maritime Archaeology and the Early Atlantic Trade: Research at Elmina, Ghana” International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. 45.2, 1–19.
Given the qualifications and experience outlined in your biographical statement, what do you believe you can contribute to the ACUA if elected?
It is an honor to be nominated as a candidate for the ACUA Board of Directors. Through my career I have made numerous connections spanning the fields of academic research, CRM firms, governmental archaeology, and international groups, and these relationships would bolster the links and networks that other members of the board have created in their careers. Clearly a central interest of my work involves education and public outreach, which has grown more important to me through my university teaching and involvement with the Florida Public Archaeology Network. Having taught twelve different courses and served on over forty M.A. thesis committees, I have a good understanding of what students are looking for in a career in underwater archaeology, and can bring this experience to the many issues that the board is involved with. Although I work in a predominantly academic setting, I make an effort to expose students to “real world” scenarios, largely based on my CRM experience and the challenges of working in world areas where maritime archaeology is a rarity/challenge. I involve students with planning maritime surveys, developing research designs, and having them help write reports. I also developed and teach a broader scientific diving course during the school year, involving students majoring not only in Anthropology, but also Marine Biology and Environmental Sciences, supplementing our summer field schools with hands on experience that will help them with AAUS certification and their future careers. I hope to apply these experiences with the ACUA Board of Directors in their future plans.
If elected, what priorities would you emphasize, taking into consideration of ACUA’s missions and goals, ongoing committee activities, and the management and financial challenges of the organization?
As the ACUA’s mission includes providing advice on responsible public education and stewardship in underwater cultural heritage, my interests and experience mesh well with these goals of the organization. I will happily serve on committees, the most relevant perhaps being the Education Committee, Nominations Committee, Submerged Cultural Resources Awareness Workshop Committee, or the Underwater Archaeology Survey Guidelines Review Committee, but I can be flexible in regards to the needs of the board. This past year has presented numerous challenges to all of us, including education, health, research opportunities and professional connections. As Chair of the UWF Dive Control Board, I worked closely with our Dive Safety Officer to establish Covid protocols for UWF Scientific Diving, and am acutely aware of the impact this has had on professionals and students. Going forward, I think some impacts of the pandemic will remain with us, including continued virtual presence at meetings and conferences, issues of diver reciprocity on various projects, and dive safety. How this will affect membership dues, conference expenses, and other aspects of our professional interactions remains to be seen. I will be eager to participate in discussions as to how we navigate these issues with the ACUA board.
Sarah E. Holland
Present Position: Principal Investigator, Gray & Pape, Inc.
Education: Ph.D., Maritime Archaeology, University of Southampton, England; M.Sc., Maritime Archaeology, University of Southampton, England; B.A., Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Kentucky, USA
Professional Service to SHA and Other Societies: Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology (2018–present), Register of Professional Archaeologists (2015–present), Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology, Editorial Board Member (2014–Present), Nautical Archaeology Society (member most years since 2002), Elected Member of Executive Committee (2002–2005), Chair of the Outreach and Education Committee (2005–2007), Publications Committee Member (2004–2006), Society for Historical Archaeology (member most years since 2002), Co-publications Committee (2019–present), Inter-society Relations Committee member (2004–2007)
Research Interests: site formation processes and the application of related analyses to site management; use of legacy data to gain new understanding of sites and an appreciation for the evolution of maritime archaeology methodologies; public outreach, engagement, and education as a critical component of ongoing site management; development of inclusive interpretive programs, bringing understanding of maritime sites to a wider audience
Biographical Statement: My passion for ships, maritime and coastal history, and the sea was born out of a childhood spent on pleasure boats of the Ohio River and summers on North Carolina beaches. Since my high school days using copies of National Geographic to write papers on underwater archaeology for history class, I have been drawn to archaeology (both terrestrial and maritime) and to shipwrecks of all eras, and have pursued a lifelong fascination with the underwater world. Since those early days, I have worked for close to 20 years in cultural resource management and maritime archaeology in the United States and England, either in a professional role or as a student while in graduate school. This trans-Atlantic experience has given me a deeper understanding for the public appreciation of archaeology and, the particular allure of shipwrecks and other maritime archaeological sites. Bringing this underwater world to a wider audience is a primary goal in every aspect of my professional life.
As my first term on the ACUA Board of Directors comes to a close, I am eager to continue this association by running for a second term and am grateful to the selection committee for this opportunity. One of the most interesting and enjoyable aspects of my current term on the ACUA Board has been serving on the Mentoring Committee, including three terms as the Committee Chair. With the help of the other committee members, we have seen the mentoring program continue to build momentum, moving from strength to strength, and I am eager to continue working to create a truly powerful mentoring program as part of the ACUA commitment to education. Additionally, I have served as the chair of the Maritime Heritage Education and Training Committee, another association I would hope to continue in a second term.
Given your qualifications and experience, what do you believe you can contribute to the ACUA, if elected?
If elected to a second term as a member of the ACUA Board of Directors and member of the Executive Committee, I will continue to work with the organization in communicating a passion for the preservation of underwater cultural heritage and will work to find new ways to share that commitment with others through outreach and public engagement activities wherever the possibility may arise. My work with the ACUA Mentoring Committee has been a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging outlet for this passion and one I hope to continue. My past work with the Nautical Archaeology Society, the Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology (now the Maritime Archaeology Trust), avocational dive groups, and site management organizations (such as state historic preservation offices in the U.S. and English Heritage in England), has given me a strong skillset for working with numerous and varied groups interested in the preservation, interpretation, and dissemination of information regarding underwater archaeological sites. During my first term on the ACUA Board of Directors, I’ve been able to continue this broad-based association with multiple groups across the world, working collaboratively for the preservation of underwater cultural heritage, a skillset I would hope to expand in a second term. Additionally, having worked for a number of years in academic textbook publishing, and in my current role as Technical Editor/Principal Investigator at Gray & Pape, Inc., I believe that one of my greatest assets is my understanding of the requirements for disseminating research results and analysis to a wider audience through a variety of avenues and for a range of audiences. As a member of the ACUA Board, I would continue my commitment to work to better communicate with a variety of audiences the importance of preserving underwater cultural heritage in a broad and inclusive way for future generations.
If elected, what priorities would you emphasize, taking into consideration the ACUA missions and goals, ongoing committee activities, and the management and financial challenges of the Society?
As previously mentioned, my deep interest in outreach and public engagement, including divers, avocational archaeologists, and interested members of the public, would continue to be a priority, if elected. I believe that it is through engagement with members of local communities outside of the professional and academic archaeological spheres, that archaeologists can find their strongest advocates for the ongoing preservation of archaeological sites. Creating champions and protectors of underwater cultural heritage through active engagement and education would be of primary interest.
Of course, by its very nature, outreach and engagement with the various stakeholders interested in a site relies upon the physical preservation, documentation, and ongoing management of these archaeological sites. My research into site formation processes and the varied approaches for ongoing site management would continue to be a focus. The need to disseminate such research in broad ways to multiple audiences is a challenge that I would welcome and would be a priority during my tenure on the ACUA Board. The need to include the public in understanding site formation processes, and how humans and nature directly impact maritime sites, would be a specific direction for outreach and public engagement. I believe that this, in particular, would encourage close collaboration with other members of the ACUA/SHA and with relevant committees to protect and preserve maritime sites.
Lastly, my experience both in cultural resource management and textbook publishing
professional societies come with their own set of budgetary and administrative constraints, something learned during my time working on a variety of committees for other organizations. Understanding these constraints and working as part of a team to produce the highest quality publications, outreach programs, and innovative means of public engagement would be a final priority.
Jennifer McKinnon, Ph.D.
Present Position(s): Associate Professor, East Carolina University, Program in Maritime Studies; Vice Chair, Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology
Education: Ph.D., Anthropology, Florida State University; M.A., Anthropology, Florida State University; B.A., Anthropology, University of Florida
Professional Service to SHA and Other Societies: SHA Committees: Public Education and Interpretation, 2014–present and SHA UNESCO, 2014–present; Gender and Minority Affairs 2018–present, ACUA: Board Director, 2018–present; Vice Chair 2020–present; Institutional Associate Member Representative for Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology, 2011–2018, ACUA Committees: Job Market Survey; Development; UNESCO; Diversity and Equity (Chair); Education; Nominations and Elections
Research Interests: conflict archaeology and WWII in the Pacific, Spanish colonial archaeology in southeastern U.S. and Pacific, U.S. Life-Saving Service history and archaeology, Indigenous maritime cultural landscapes and seascapes, community and public archaeology
Biographical Statement: I am an underwater and terrestrial archaeologist and an Associate Professor in East Carolina University’s (ECU) Department of History, Program in Maritime Studies. Prior to arriving at ECU in 2013, I was a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Archaeology at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia from 2004 to 2013. This is when I began working in the western Pacific on WWII conflict sites, but also developed my interest in Indigenous maritime cultural landscapes and seascapes. Before moving to Australia, I was a Senior Underwater Archaeologist with the State of Florida’s Bureau of Archaeological Research where I continued my graduate studies interests in working on Spanish colonial heritage sites like the 1733 Spanish Galleon Trail project. I am a Research Associate with Ships of Exploration and Discovery Research, Inc. and Vice Chair of the Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology.
Given your qualifications and experience, what do you believe you can contribute to the ACUA/SHA if elected?
I believe my experience in serving on the Board for one term and my current position as Vice Chair of the Board provides institutional knowledge and continuity for ACUA moving forward. I feel my experience as an educator in underwater archaeology both in the US and Australia provides me with a particular viewpoint that can contribute to conversations about the direction of our field of study. For example, I served on an ACUA committee that designed and conducted a benchmarking survey of skills needed by underwater archaeology graduates, which provided useful information about education, the direction of our field, and associated jobs. That survey needs to be updated given it has been a number of years and technology within our field has changed rapidly. Additionally, I can act as a liaison between ACUA and students at universities and other educational organizations such as the UNESCO UNITWIN Underwater Archaeology Network, of which I am a member through ECU.
If elected, what priorities would you emphasize, taking into consideration the ACUA and SHA missions and goals, ongoing committee activities, and the management and financial challenges of the Society?
As an existing ACUA Board Director and Chair, I am serving on multiple ACUA and SHA committees and would continue to serve in these roles. One area I’m particularly interested in emphasizing is diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Last year I helped form the Diversity and Equity Committee of which I am Chair and was able to push for diversifying our Board and supporting inclusion in both structural (i.e., updating our bylaws with inclusive language) and specific forms (i.e., developing a diversity scholarship). I would like to have the opportunity to continue to work on DEI actions and continue to expand ACUA to be a more diverse organization (i.e., more diverse elected Board). I’d also like to strengthen ACUA’s relationship with SHA and GMAC in this area to make a stronger coalition that would push for and maintain accountability and actions in the areas of DEI.
Christopher P. Morris, M.Sc.
Current Position: Historic Preservation Specialist (Archaeologist) Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency (DHS/FEMA) Region II
Education: M.Sc., Maritime Archaeology, University of Southampton, Centre for Maritime Archaeology, 2000; B.S., Communications/Archaeology, (concentration in Marine Sciences) Cornell University, 1996
Professional Service to SHA and Other Societies: I have volunteered for the SHA conference at multiple events since attending my first conference as a member in Williamsburg in 2007. In 2015, I began serving in support of the Government Maritime Managers Meeting (GMMM); I joined the GMMM as a co-chair in 2018 and have continued that service through today. In addition to SHA, I served as a Cultural Resources Member of the NOAA Marine Protected Areas, Federal Advisory Committee (MPA-FAC). While deployed to the US Gulf Coast for Hurricane Katrina and MC252 Deep Water Horizon Spill Responses, I volunteered at the National WWII Museum’s PT-305 Project, and at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Mississippi on dolphin and sea turtle rescue teams.
Research Interests: site formation forensics, inshore remote-sensing methodologies and standards, maritime cultural landscapes, maritime historic properties management in disaster recovery operations, collaborative cultural resources management
Biographical Statement: Christopher Morris, MSc, currently serves as the Senior Archaeological Lead for DHS/FEMA Region II Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation (EHP) Teams on the Super Storm Sandy, and 2019 Halloween Flooding Responses in New York. In that role, Christopher acts as the liaison between Public Assistance Task Force Teams, and Federal EHP project compliance review, assisting disaster recovery project teams by navigating complex regulatory frameworks and coordinating consultations with State and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (SHPOs/THPOs). As a Maritime and Terrestrial Archaeologist with over 25 years of professional experience, he is trained in marine, nautical, environmental, and biological sciences. That training has been critical during his decades of offshore and land-based scientific work for Federal and State agencies, private industry consultants, and academic institutions.
Prior to joining FEMA full-time, Christopher assisted the New Jersey SHPO in the development of their maritime historical context and a prototype shipwreck-based sensitivity geodatabase. Morris has also deployed in multiple roles supporting disaster response for Hurricanes Ike, Katrina, Isaac, and Irma/Maria; Superstorm Sandy; numerous smaller disaster declarations; and
the maritime archaeology support for the MC252 Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill. Between deployments, Christopher served as a Cultural Resources Representative on the NOAA Marine Protected Areas, Federal Advisory Committee, (MPA-FAC), volunteered on the National WWII Museum’s PT-305 reconstruction project, and assisted the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies on their turtle and dolphin stranding response teams on the gulf coast of Mississippi. An avid diver, Christopher has volunteered his time on speleological dive surveys in the Yucatan, maritime cultural landscape research projects in the Great Lakes, and joint academic and research dive projects in the English Channel, Atlantic and Caribbean.
Given your qualifications and experience, what do you believe you can contribute to the
ACUA/SHA if elected?
Currently the ACUA Board and does not lack experience in maritime academia, commercial and agency CRM, museum, laboratory, and heritage management institutions. I believe I can contribute a slightly different perspective to the ACUA but spoken in a common language. In two and a half decades of work spanning academia, museums, public and private CRM, and disaster recovery operations, has given me the perspicacity to understand multiple points of view. In many ways, I have had the benefit of being in the other person’s shoes, working, living, and breathing compressed air. My current role within the disaster recovery framework brings me into a forced- collaborative space working with experienced, non-archaeological specialists, agencies, and entities with differing views, but similar goals and mission-critical agendas. Keeping my mission of compliance support in line with their goals takes a significant combined effort. I would bring that teamwork and consensus-building experience to the ACUA, along with the knowledge of cultural heritage management during the disaster response and recovery cycle. This perspective, which, though not traditionally a focal point of heritage management, is something I believe will be more and more valuable in the coming years, especially in response to climate change and the attendant increase of natural disasters. I am enthusiastic to contribute that experience and knowledge to the ACUA if elected.
If elected, what priorities would you emphasize, taking into consideration the ACUA and SHA missions and goals, ongoing committee activities, and the management and financial challenges of the society?
From Professional Mentorship and Awareness Workshops, to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the ACUA committee structure showcases the broad and varied reach of critical endeavors supported by both the ACUA and the SHA. With the current financial climate only becoming more challenging, committing to these worthwhile activities on a limited budget is something likely ingrained in the DNA of most underwater archaeologists. But setting priorities while continuing to support committee activities may be the greatest challenge of all. If elected, my priority will lie in enhancing the ACUA’s abilities to manage its missions by growing development and visibility, both in personnel and resources. Enhancing partnerships, seeking alternate funding streams, raising awareness, and supporting mutually beneficial partnerships and collaborations may be the key to sustaining ACUA and SHA outreach. This is especially critical on the threshold of the UN Ocean Decade, which offers the opportunity to support committee activities through shared messaging over the coming years. Leveraging the strength that could come from such growth would enable more capacity to support all ACUA undertakings, from mentorship programs and review of survey guidelines to education and support of diversity and equity in our field.
Eric Swanson
Present Position: Lead Archaeologist and Geophysical and Geotechnical Engineer, Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind
Education: M.A., Historical Archaeology/Anthropology, The University of West Florida;
B.A., Anthropology, Georgia Southern University
Professional Service to SHA and Other Societies: SHA: UNESCO Committee; Technology Committee; Development Committee, ACUA: Hydrographic Society of America Member; Society for Underwater Technology Member; Marine Technology Society Member
Research Interests: unifying theoretical and technological design; renewable energy sources and development; survey design, principles and theory; private, public, government, and academic interfacing; building partnerships across multiple disciplines; research evolution and educational expansion; using technology to investigate remote archaeological sites; utilizing new methods for passive sensors in archaeology; advocating non-destructive techniques to investigating archaeological sites; submerged precontact archaeological sites.
Biographical Statement: Over the last 13 years, I have spent concerted and directed focus of my time and energy on developing my archaeological career that could accomplish two goals:
To find and discover aspects of the past that either had no voice or could teach us more about ourselves than we believe we know.
To find a way to show that archaeology is not only important in the real world, but to demonstrate how the exercise of archaeology is systematically better for the development of survey, research, and public project development.
This search for a better understanding of humankind and how to find that understanding has taken me from the emerald coast of Florida to Louisiana, Texas, Mexico, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Alaska, Nigeria, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Gulf of Mexico; all to work on projects that drove me further outside my comfort zone of researching from books and controlled environments. I became a front-line archaeologist in a world of expanding mineral exploitation, energy projects, infrastructure development, government research, and more.
Through this experience of being on the fringe of discovery and survey, I learned the fine details on public, private, and government stakeholder interface, and from some of the greatest maritime archaeologists that I know. I take pride every day in the ability I have to engage and help to develop technology, experience, and survey design between industry and stakeholders in a way that helps us preserve and protect past heritage and help us all move into a more sustainable future. It is my sincere hope, that with my technological and project development and management background, that I can help others in the field grow and expand this field I call home.
Given the qualifications and experience outlined in your biographical statement, what do
you believe you can contribute to the ACUA if elected?
I believe that my experience working on high-profile projects with a diverse range of people, disciplines, and complexity will assist me in helping the ACUA in decision-making tasks and having a wealth of experience to draw from in engaging the community in a constructive way. I see that my experience with government interfacing and stakeholder outreach has illuminated nuances in how to engage with a wide variety of people who view the world in different ways. In turn, it has also shown me how each of those worldviews is a compliment to getting at the root of how unifying goals can be met.
My experience with several governments and large corporations also lends to the ability to organize and outline large objectives, while simultaneously executing project tasks for my team to accomplish the objective mission. I think that these skills are important to continuing to project and develop the ACUA from the perspective of identifying ways that we can diversify the way we look at the world, how we find those things that are important to our collective past, and then finding a way to bring that objective to reality by engaging a broad group that share the passion of discovering and preserving the past in ways that are meaningful for EVERYONE.
If elected, what priorities would you emphasize, taking into consideration ACUA
missions and goals, ongoing committee activities, and the management and financial
challenges of the organization?
I would like to utilize my experience with offshore exploration to engage new technological standards and policies that bring together the academic, private industry, public engagement, and government regulatory practices to a centralized place that is well managed and cared for by a diverse range of people and Subject Matter Experts.
I find that the world of offshore exploration and development has advanced so quickly, that our students and young professionals are facing significant hurdles in understanding how to plan, develop, and use new technology in an effective way. I would like to help engage, promote, and emphasize programs that encourage a diversity of experience and people in ways that can help drive the archaeological community into the exciting new future ahead of us.
I hope to promote an increase of funding and unifying directives. Industry development projects and government research incentives can help the ACUA grow through attracting more participation in the SHA and growing the field to a larger audience. Utilizing the growth of multi-disciplinary standards in technology to reach out to private and public entities to find creative ways of funding research projects can also help me in accomplishing this goal. Co-hosting data sharing platforms that can provoke interest in creating revenue streams that are both passive (as in database access) and active (as in community engagement and end-user control) is also an avenue that can help drive the ACUA into the future.
My Goal Summary:
Help to contribute to, and grow, a central methodology omnibus that can establish a standard that maritime archaeologists and geophysical/geotechnical surveys follow. An example would be to contact the International Organization for Standardization.
I would like to continue to promote and encourage programs that take extra steps to promote diversity and technological development in the field and help to make this a standard practice of our colleagues.
I would like to help facilitate a smoother interface between government, public, and private entities in a way that may help to bring more funding into the field, as well as increase membership by establishing a bigger impact on new professionals.