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Board of Directors

The board of directors is a group of dedicated individuals who provide strategic direction, oversight, and make all major organizational decisions.

Where We Work

The Archaeological Conservancy maintains over 585 preserves in five designated regions across the USA

Preservation Work

Continuing management and maintenance of each of our sites, preserving the past for the future.

About Us

The Archaeological Conservancy is the only national, nonprofit organization that identifies, acquires, and preserves significant archaeological sites.

Elizabeth (Betsy) M. Alexander  lives in northern Virginia.  She holds a B.A. degree from Boston University and a law degree from Georgetown University.  She has practiced law in Virginia and served as an aide to the Virginia Senate and in various political positions.  She is a Ph.D. candidate in anthropology at American University and has been doing research in Egypt.  She serves on the board of the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center.

Shane Doyle is a Crow tribal member and educational consultant who hails from the Crow Agency in Montana. Along with his educational consultant work in Montana public schools, the National Park Service, and Yellowstone Forever, Shane is currently the Montana Resource Coordinator for the TEDNA-NYCP 2015 program, as well as an advocate and spokesperson for the Montana Wilderness Association. Shane lives in Bozeman, Montana where he also works as an adjunct instructor for Montana State University-Bozeman.

Jim Galloway, a resident of Madison, Mississippi, lived most of his life, prior to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, in Gulfport. Jim is a former lawyer, who was a litigator, and who represented the boards of directors of many municipal, county, and regional governmental entities. He is a graduate of the University of Mississippi with a degree in English and Sociology, and of the University of Mississippi School of Law with a Juris Doctor degree.

Robert Gelb is an attorney and archaeologist who lives in San Carlos, California. His archaeology master’s thesis was on the protection of Mono Lake Paiute Kutzadika sacred sites in California. He has taught criminal and constitutional law at the college level and introductory archaeology and physical anthropology at community colleges. He also serves as a volunteer site steward for the Conservancy.

Jerry Golden is a retired President and Chief Executive Officer of Shell Chemical Company. Since retirement he lives in California and Boulder, Colorado where he pursues his interest in Southwestern archaeology. He holds a Bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and has studied anthropology at the University of Colorado and corporate finance at the London School of Business.

Bill Lipe is professor emeritus of anthropology at Washington State University and a trustee of the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center.  He is a former president of the Society for American Archaeology, and in 2010, he received the Alfred Kidder Award from the American Anthropological Association.  He has done archaeological research in the Four Corners region of the Southwest since the late 1950s.

Leslie Masson lives in Lexington, Massachusetts where she is active in the community. She is retired from the software industry and currently collaborates with her mentor in costume study and design. She has had a passion for archaeology since childhood and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from University of California at Berkeley.

Mark Michel lives in Albuquerque and has been president and chief executive officer of the Conservancy since its founding in 1980. He holds a Master’s degree from the University of Missouri and is a former management consultant and executive assistant to the governor of New Mexico.  He is a recipient of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Louise DuPont Crowninshield Award. Learn more about Mark Michel and founding of The Archaeological Conservancy in our blog series The People Behind TAC: The Archaeological Conservancy Celebrates 35 Years of Preservation.

Jeffrey M. Mitchem is an archaeologist with the Arkansas Archeological Survey and Research Associate Professor in Anthropology at the University of Arkansas. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Florida in 1989, and since 1990, he has been directing research at Parkin Archeological State Park in northeast Arkansas.  Since 1976, he has participated in fieldwork in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Idaho, and the country of Jordan. Learn more about Jeffrey Mitchem in our blog series The People Behind TAC: Surprises Around Every Corner: Archaeology, The Parkin Site and The Archaeological Conservancy

Vincas (Vin) Steponaitis is a professor of anthropology and the former director of the Research Labs of Archaeology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a former head of the Society for American Archaeology. Mr. Steponaitis holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and one of his major research interests is the moundbuilder cultures of the Mississippi Delta.

Bill Thompson grew up in Oklahoma and is a graduate of the University of Tulsa.  He now lives in Dallas and is a retired insurance executive.  He is also the retired chief operating officer of EDGE, a computer hardware firm.  Thompson is the award winning author of eleven archaeology adventure novels.  They are available at Amazon.com in paperback or ebook.

James B. Walker, a New Mexico native, Jim is the retired SW Regional Director and Senior Vice President of The Archaeological Conservancy.  He worked for the organization since 1981. Jim holds a BA in Anthropology and an MBA in Marketing, both degrees from The University of New Mexico. His background also includes extensive experience and education in real estate and cultural resource management. Learn more about Jim Walker in our blog series The People Behind TAC:  Looking Back on 33 Years: My Favorite Preserve.

Gordon P. Wilson, Chairman, is a retired investment and mutual fund manager.  He served as chief investment officer and president of Kemper-Murray Johnstone International in Chicago.  Wilson is a former member of the board of directors of the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center and Futures for Children.  He holds a Masters degree in finance from the University of Illinois and lives in Santa Fe. Learn more about Gordon Wilson in our blog series The People Behind TAC: Economics & Archaeology- My Road to The Archaeological Conservancy

How does The Conservancy raise funds?

Funds from the Conservancy come from membership dues, individual contributions, corporations and foundations. Membership dues, gifts and bequests of money, land, and securities are fully tax deductible under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Planned giving provides donors with substantial tax deductions and a variety of beneficiary possibilities. For more information, call Mark Michel at (505) 266-1540.

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