Dear QRC colleagues,

I know the news has been shared internally within the QRC, but I do not want to miss the opportunity to formally announce how pleased I am to formally announce that Professor Sara Gonzalez has agreed to serve as the Director of the Quaternary Research Center, effective July 1. In this role she will continue building the interdisciplinary intellectual portfolio of the QRC and broadening the involvement and impact of the QRC across the university.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who participated in the search process. I am especially appreciative of the work of the QRC Nominations Committee (Daniel Abramson-chair, Derek Booth, Bernard Hallet, Tristan Bench, and Hollis Miller) for their work in recruiting and vetting some really phenomenal candidates for this position and in consulting widely with the QRC community.

Sara L. Gonzalez is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Washington and Curator of Archaeology the Burke Museum of Natural History. An anthropological archaeologist by training, she works at the intersection of Indigenous studies, tribal historic preservation, and public history. Her research contributes to the growing field of Indigenous and community-based archaeologies, which feature the direct engagement of Indigenous peoples and are committed to the ethical integration of Indigenous knowledge and methods into archaeological practice and heritage management. She currently co-directs Field Methods in Indigenous Archaeology with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon’s Historic Preservation Office, which enhances the capacity of the tribe as well as archaeologists to care for, protect, and represent tribal heritage for future generations. In addition to this work, Dr. Gonzalez is a co-founder of the Indigenous Archaeology Collective, a network of Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars within archaeology and related fields that provides mentorship to Indigenous archaeology scholars and advocates for the rights of Indigenous peoples as outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Sara succeeds Ben Fitzhugh, who will be returning to his full-time appointment as a professor in the Department of Anthropology and continuing member of the QRC community. I am incredibly grateful for Ben’s service to the QRC and the College. He took on the role of the QRC Director in January 2014 and I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to see firsthand Ben’s incredibly thoughtful and inclusive approach to the role of academic leadership. One highlight of Ben’s tenure included the QRC’s 50^th Anniversary celebration in 2019 which celebrated past achievements of the QRC while looking to the future. I have been particularly gratified to see the ranks of QRC affiliated scholars grow in numbers and disciplinary scope.

If you haven’t already, please join me in welcoming Sara in her new role and thanking Ben for his service to us all.

Best,

Lisa

—

Lisa J. Graumlich

She/her/hers

Mary Laird Professor and Dean

College of the Environment

University of Washington

See the announcement also on the College of the Environment’s website:

Sara Gonzalez to serve as the Quaternary Research Center Director