I am proud to serve as the executive director of the University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History. Prior to arriving at the MNCH in 2023, I spent nearly 15 years as a faculty member at San Diego State’s Department of Anthropology, where my archaeological research focused on long-term human-environmental interactions and the peopling of the Americas. I am a former Oregon middle school teacher, a returned Peace Corps volunteer, and the former Irvine Curator of Anthropology at the California Academy of Sciences. Along with over 100 academic manuscripts, I have published several books, monographs, and edited volumes.
Most of my work today is focused on translating archaeological research to the public. My latest book, Understanding Imperiled Earth: How Archaeology and Human History Can Inform Our Planet’s Future (April 2024, Smithsonian Books), explores the ways archaeology and history can act as critical guides for addressing the modern environmental crisis and my next book Mammoths and Empires: A History of Indigenous Discovery, Civilization, and Adaptation in the Americas (Pegasus Books) will be released Jan. 5, 2027.
Most of my work today is focused on translating archaeological research to the public. My latest book, Understanding Imperiled Earth: How Archaeology and Human History Can Inform Our Planet’s Future (April 2024, Smithsonian Books), explores the ways archaeology and history can act as critical guides for addressing the modern environmental crisis and my next book Mammoths and Empires: A History of Indigenous Discovery, Civilization, and Adaptation in the Americas (Pegasus Books) will be released Jan. 5, 2027.