Departmental News

Posted:  Jul 28, 2021 - 12:00pm

Dr. Russell Greaves, UNM Alum, has been appointed Director of the Office of Contract Archaeology. His 39-year career crosscuts the breadth of anthropology, with research, publications, and fieldwork spanning archaeology, ethnology, and evolutionary anthropology and makes him a unique fit at the UNM Office of Contract Archaeology. Within archaeology, Greaves has conducted and led field- and collection-based projects on a diversity of archaeological sites spanning the Paleoindian period to the 19th century CE, principally in the American Southwest, Great Plains, Texas, and Great Basin. His ethnoarchaeological work has included research with Indigenous communities in Venezuela and Mexico in addition to projects with Pueblo and Diné communities in New Mexico and Arizona. A skilled analyst of archaeological materials, he brings expertise in lithic and faunal analyses, geoarchaeology, ethnobotany and numerous projects involving archival materials, legacy museum collections, and recent field data.

As OCA director, Greaves said his job includes promoting positive scientific teamwork in the context of cultural resource management, assuring the continued high-quality of the work at OCA, maintaining an interesting and supportive work environment for staff, meeting client goals, and contributing to general archaeological knowledge. Equally important, he said, is developing public outreach that lets interested members of the public know what OCA does as part of its public archaeology work, since much of the OCA funding comes from public organizations.  Read the full article