Christopher

Christopher D. Dore, PhD, MCIfA, RPA, President (2027)

Today I consult on heritage business, law, and policy through Heritage Business International/Cultural Heritage Experts. I also serve as Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at the University of Arizona and Adjunct Professor of Archaeology at Simon Fraser University. Earlier in my career I investigated Maya settlement and community organization, both archaeologically and ethnoarchaeologically, in the Puuc Region of Mexico. I was an early adopter and user of geospatial technologies (satellite remote sensing, spatial statistics, lidar, GIS, GPS, etc.) and used these as research tools to understand both the visible and invisible spatial components of the archaeological record. It is important to me to be accessible to SAA members. Please feel free to contact me to tell me how SAA can do a better job in helping you be more successful in your career.

Christopher can be emailed at [email protected] or a phone call can be scheduled here.

Anna

Anna Marie Prentiss, PhD, President-Elect (2029)

I am Regents Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Montana (UM).  Here at UM, I teach courses in evolutionary archaeology, research design, and proposal writing and am active in graduate student mentoring.  My current research primarily focuses on ancient village histories, technological evolution, and social change in the North American Pacific Northwest region.  I have a multi-decade field project in the Interior of British Columbia, Canada, that is conducted in a collaborative partnership with Xwísten, the Bridge River Indian Band. In my early years in archaeology, I was employed as an archaeologist in federal and state agencies. I also spent a number of years working as a consulting archaeologist in the private sector.  My service with the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) includes editor, the SAA Archaeological Record (2013-2019) and Board Member at Large (2022-2025). I greatly value your thoughts and suggestions for making SAA a more prosperous, effective, and inclusive organization. Please do not hesitate to contact me.

Anna can be emailed at [email protected].

Terry

S. Terry Childs, PhD, RPA, Secretary (2027)

I am retired after spending 10 years of writing policy and guidance on the curation of 200+ million museum objects and records owned by Department of the Interior bureaus, and over 15 years of national-level database and policy development to protect National Park Service archaeological sites and collections. I look forward to helping shape the future of the organization. SAA is working on its new strategic plan. Both my involvement with the development of that strategic plan and my background with archives will help to understand, acknowledge, and contextualize the SAA as critical issues are tackled and informed choices are made in the future. The issues of concern to me are: ethics reform; improving relations with descendant communities; diversity and safety of the membership; collections preservation and accessibility; effective communication with membership; open access in publishing; curriculum reform; and professional development.

Erik

Erik R. Otárola-Castillo, PhD, Secretary Elect (2029)

I am an immigrant and a first-generation graduate from a working-poor background. That perspective motivates me to serve and has shown me how small procedural changes, like clearer forms, plain-language instructions, and sensible agendas, open real doors. As Secretary, I will work hard to keep those doors accessible to all members. Since my first SAA presentation in 2007, I have served the Society and worked in academia and CRM, where I have seen how procedural tools influence decision-making. I have also witnessed how vital it is that these tools include the full diversity of the membership. I chair the Deborah L. Nichols Meeting Access Grants Committee and am an associate professor at Purdue University.

Sarah

Sarah Herr, RPA, Treasurer (2028)

I am president of Desert Archaeology Inc., a private-sector cultural resource management firm whose work considers the connections between past and present peoples and the landscapes of the US Southwest. Between 2016 and 2025 I worked as part of a team to publish the SAA journal Advances in Archaeological Practice. The understandings that provided about archaeological research, methods,  and ethics has been a highlight of my professional service work. I see budgets as a balanced quantification of an organization’s mission and values and look forward to serving the SAA’s membership in this way. 

Fumi

Fumi Arakawa, PhD, Director-at-Large (2029)

I have been an Associate Professor at Indiana University, Bloomington since 2023. Previously, I was a museum director and professor at New Mexico State University. As Director-at-Large, I aim to bring my archaeological experience in field and lab research, collaborate with descendant communities, and advocate for multivocality in scholarship. I seek to address current challenges, including threats to cultural resource preservation and funding, by providing informed leadership that protects heritage and strengthens our discipline.

Alex

Alex W. Barker, PhD, RPA, Director-at-Large (2029)

I’m an archeologist and museum anthropologist interested in cultural property, heritage, and the long-term biography of things—and especially how objects are used in the production of knowledge and identity. I’m Director of the Arkansas Archeological Survey, where (among other things) we’re about 4 million objects into a complete inventory of our holdings. I work on issues of heritage trafficking, and serve on the State Department’s Cultural Property Advisory Committee. Previously I served on the National NAGPRA Review Committee, and as president of the American Anthropological Association.

Claudia

Claudia García-Des Lauriers, PhD, Director-at-Large (2028)

I am currently the director of the Kellogg Honors College and professor of anthropology at Cal Poly Pomona. My archaeological research centers on the art and archaeology of religion, ritual, trade, identity, and exchange in Mesoamerica focusing on Teotihuacan and the Pacific Coast of Chiapas. I have a BA in art history and history from California State University, Bakersfield, and an MA in art history and an MA and PhD in anthropology from University of California, Riverside. In my current role, I recruit and mentor some of our most talented students at Cal Poly Pomona, support career preparedness initiatives, and support faculty mentorship and professional development efforts across the Cal Poly Pomona campus.

Susan

Susan C. Ryan, PhD, Director-at-Large (2028)

I am the executive vice president of the Research Institute at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, a nonprofit research and education institution located in Cortez, Colorado. Having specialized in the archaeology of the US Southwest for over three decades, I focus on research initiatives pertaining to the built environment, human-environment studies, Indigenous archaeology, and community formation/dissolution. Since 2015, I’ve had the privilege of directing a college field school that ethically and responsibly trains the next generations of professionals. In everything I do, I strive to create change for the betterment of humanity. At my core, I believe (1) everyone’s history matters; (2) possessing detailed knowledge about our shared humanity generates cultural understanding, empathy, and respect for others; (3) knowledge bolsters resilience and helps people make more informed decisions in their lives and work; and (4) appreciation for nondominant ways of knowing can generate creative solutions for issues in the present and future.

Ken

Kenneth E. Sassaman, PhD, Director-at-Large (2027)

I am the Hyatt and Cici Brown Professor of Florida Archaeology and Director of American Indian and Indigenous Studies. For the first time in its history, my home institution is offering an M.A. degree with a concentration in Public Archaeology. The new program with was designed considerable input from colleagues in federal and state government, private-sector firms, non-profit organizations, and tribes. I will serve the SAA Board by helping the organization prepare for continued growth in public archaeology by attending to pressing needs for more and better student training; increased participation and collaboration with colleagues in the private sector and government; and greater commitment to the prerogatives and well-being of Indigenous people throughout the western hemisphere, particularly in their efforts to develop heritage capacity in support of sovereignty.

Marcela

Marcela Sepúlveda, PhD, Director-at-Large (2027)

I am a researcher at the Universidad de Tarapacá, Chile and Associate researcher at UMR 8096 ArchAm (CNRS-Paris 1), France. I am a Chilean archaeologist based in Santiago, Chile and a member of the SAA since 2010. Archaeology has grown exponentially in South America, and I believe establishing strong connections between local archaeologists and the SAA is an important part of this process. I would like to to help increase the global impact of the SAA and to further diversify the SAA’s approaches.