Association Officers and Board Meetings

Current Association Officers

Scott Shirar, President, alaskaanthropresident@gmail.com

Scott Shirar is the archaeology collections manager at the University of Alaska Museum of the North. As a collections manager, he cares for archaeological material from across the state and assists students, researchers, and community members with collections-based projects. His primary research interests include zooarchaeology and radiocarbon dating in the central western Brooks Range and the Alaska Peninsula.

Shina duVall, Vice President, alaskaanthrovp@gmail.com

Shina duVall is the Regional Archeologist for the National Park Service Interior Region 11 – Alaska. In this role, she provides leadership, assistance, oversight, and coordination on archaeological and cultural resource issues affecting National Park units and a wide variety of partners in Alaska. Shina has over 20 years of experience supporting, managing, and reviewing a variety of archaeological, cultural resource, and historic preservation projects through her work experience in private, government, higher education, and non-profit sectors.

Ruby Fried, Secretary, alaskaanthrosecretary@gmail.com

Ruby Fried is an assistant professor at University of Alaska Anchorage in the Division of Population Health Sciences. Ruby’s Alaska-centered work includes research in remote and urban areas with Alaska Native populations on traditional food security, maternal and child health, mitigating chronic disease risk, as well as coping strategies and vaccine acceptance with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic. She has established partnerships with the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, ANTHC, SCF, and engage with other researchers within and outside of the UA system. She is committed to helping improve the professional experiences of AkAA members; students and fellow researchers alike.

Emilie Springer, Publications, alaskaanthropublications@gmail.com

Emilie Springer was born in Seward, Alaska to a multi-generation family with Alaska Native heritage and tribal membership in Ninilchik. She grew up in Homer with a commercial fishing family and spent most of her high school summers working with her father in Prince William Sound. She attended Stanford University and studied literature, creative writing and dance; completed an MA degree in Marine Policy at the University of Washington funded mostly by NOAA and focusing on oral history of the Bering Sea Pacific cod industry; and earned her PhD at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Anthropology focused on oral history of Cordova and the Copper River sockeye salmon fishery. She currently lives in Homer and is senior reporter for the Homer News in journalism. Her MA and PhD degrees were both funded by federal programs (NOAA and NSF) encouraging research in climate change and she hopes to continue to do this by incorporating science into the scope of public media and thinks anthropology is a critical tool for this.

Caroline Ketron, Scholarships and Awards, alaskaanthroaward.scholarship@gmail.com

Caroline Ketron is an anthropologist for the Bureau of Land Management Glennallen Field Office. She coordinates Federal Subsistence hunting opportunities, serves as a tribal liaison, and supports BLM archaeologists in fieldwork. Caroline has worked as an archaeologist in Alaska off and on since 2004 and moved to Gakona in 2014. She is interested in Early Paleoamerican occupations in Alaska and subsistence strategies of the arctic and subarctic.

Laura Stelson, External Affairs, alaskaanthroexternalaffairs@gmail.com

Laura Stelson is a Ph.D. student and instructor in the departments of Anthropology and Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and the Environment at Penn State University. Her work in Alaska started seven years ago when she took a job as a seasonal archaeologist at Katmai National Park. Laura’s research explores cultural change across the many volcanic events affecting Katmai. She specializes in archaeological geophysics, radiocarbon dating, isotope geochemistry, and material classification techniques.

Student Intern

Amber Perry is appointed as the Student Intern for the Association. Amber mails out publications purchased through the website, assists with institutional subscriptions, and organizes the storage unit, among other helpful activities for the Association.

Treasurer

The Association employs Ann Kowenstrot as a part-time bookkeeper and treasurer to assist with financial administration and membership services. For questions about association business, your membership, the purchase of association publications or web site functions in general, please contact Ann at: alaskaanthrotreasurer@gmail.com

Upcoming Board Meetings

Board Meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of each month from 12:00-1:00 pm AKST. Please contact Ruby Fried (alaskaanthrosecretary@gmail.com) if you would like to attend a meeting or place an item on the agenda. Additions to the agenda must be received at least one (1) week prior to the meeting. To attend via Zoom, please contact Ruby at least two (2) days before the meeting.

The Annual General Membership Business Meeting takes place on the Saturday afternoon following the annual conference.

2023-04-11 Board Meeting Minutes

2023-03-09-Board-Transition-Meeting-Minutes

2023-03 Annual General Business Meeting Minutes

2023-02-Board-Meeting-Minutes

2023-01-Board-Meeting-Minutes

2022-12-Board-Meeting-Minutes

2022-11-Board-Meeting-Minutes

2022-10-Board-Meeting-Minutes

2022-09-Board-Meeting-Minutes

2022-08-Board-Meeting-Minutes

2022-07-Board-Meeting-Minutes