Students! You may be asking yourself: “What exactly is the Past Presidents’ Student Reception?”, “Will the reception still be happening this year?”, or “How do I participate?”  Well, this is the blog post to answer all of your questions.

“What exactly is the Past Presidents’ Student Reception?”

In years before the pandemic, where we could meet in person and network, the Past Presidents’ Reception provided an opportunity for students to network with previous SHA presidents (hence the title) and leading professionals in the areas of Academia, CRM, Public Engagement, Underwater Archaeology, and so on. The Reception prided itself on being an informal and welcoming place where students can ask for advice, career stories, and make connections that will last throughout their career.

“Will the reception still be happening this year?”

How do we create this reception environment during the virtual conference? Easy- more video calls. This year the reception will be divided into sections based on career paths, with three leading professionals in each section.

Wednesday January 6  
12-1pm

Federal, State, and Local Agencies

Duane Quates
State Cultural Resources Specialist/Archaeologist, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Mandy Ranslow
Program Analyst/Federal Highway Administration Liaison, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

Will Reed
Regional Heritage Program Leader, Southwestern Region, U.S. Forest Service

Friday January 8^th
8-9am

Academia – Advanced Degrees

LuAnn DeCunzo
  Professor of Anthropology, University of Delaware

Paul Mullins
 Professor, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis

William White
Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley

Friday January 8^th
12-1pm

Private Sector Cultural Resource Management

Amanda Evans
Maritime Services Practice Leader, Gray & Pape, Inc

Donn Grenda
President, Statistical Research, Inc.

Joe Joseph
Director of Administration, New South Associates

Friday January 8^th
1:30-2:30pm

Public Engagement

Sara Ayers-Rigsby
Director, Southeast/Southwest Regions, Florida Public Archaeology Network

Bill Lees
Executive Director, Florida Public Archaeology Network

Della Scott-Ireton
Associate Director, Florida Public Archaeology Network

Saturday January 9^th
8-9am

Museums – Collections

Julie King
Professor of Anthropology, St. Mary’s College of Maryland

Patricia Samford
Director, Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory

Mark Warner
Professor, University of Idaho

Saturday January 9^th
12-1pm

Underwater Archaeology

Toni Carrell
Vice President, Ships of Discovery

Kim Faulk
Business Development Manager/Sr. Marine Archaeologist, Geoscience Earth & Marine Services

Susan Langley
Maryland State Underwater Archaeologist/Adjunct Prof. St. Mary’s College of Maryland

“How do I participate?”

Easy enough! Only students who register for the conference can participate in the Reception. To attend, all you need to do is go to the link provided in the final conference program for the career sessions of your choice (or all of them, chat with everyone. You never know what your future holds). There is no separate, additional registration to participate in this special event. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to explore careers in historical archaeology!