Alumni careers

What are you going to do with a degree in Anthropology from NAU, anyway?

Northern Arizona University students who earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology have found many unique careers after graduation. We’re proud of our NAU alumni who are working in a diverse number of fields.

Roger Dorr (’08) works for the Flagstaff Areas National Monuments.

Charlie Webber (’08) works for the Flagstaff Areas National Monuments.

Kelly Swartz (’08) is working for Desert Archaeology in Tucson, Arizona.

Karolina Chmiel (’08) works as an archaeologist for ICF Jones & Stokes in San Diego, California.

Anna Corwin (’07) is working toward a PhD in linguistic anthropology at UCLA.

Emily L. Altimare (’07) is working on her PhD in Cultural Anthropology at Michigan State University.

Lisa Baldwin (’07) works for the Flagstaff Areas National Park Service.

Jeremy Decker (’07) is an archaeologist with the Valles Caldera National Preserve in Jemez Springs, New Mexico.

Brian Joseph (’07) works for the Bureau of Reclamation in Provo, Utah.

Elizabeth Vogler (’07) works for Flagstaff Cultural Partners/Coconino Center for the Arts as the program coordinator.

Peter Little (’06) is pursuing his PhD in applied anthropology at Oregon State University and received NSF funding for his dissertation fieldwork.

Kyrie Thompson (’06) works at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industries an exhibit developer.

Phil Hoog (’05) has recently been made curatorial and NAGPRA coordinator within the curatorial department at the San Diego Museum of Man.

Michael Lyndon(’05) is the forest tribal liaison/assistant forest archaeologist for the Kaibab National Forest in Williams, Arizona.

Emily Kellogg Ragsdale (’05) works as an archaeologist for Historical Research Associates.

Daniel Sorrell (’05) is a cultural resources project director for EcoPlan Associates, Inc., Mesa.

Amanda Rose-Horne (‘04) works in Tucson, Arizona, as an anthropology instructor at Pima Community College.

Rachel Berry (’04) works as an intelligence analyst and strategic planner for the Army Directed Studies Office, a think tank that produces special studies for the senior leadership of the US Army.

Rheagan Alexander (’04) entered law school in a program in environmental law in 2009.

Kate Brelsford (’04) and is working on her PhD in applied anthropology and an MPH in public health at the University of South Florida.

Karla James (Borrud) (’04) works as the archaeologist for Yuma Proving Ground.

Shayna Diamond-Atonna (’04) has been working for the American Cancer Society as the patient navigator at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ, and was recently promoted to the navigator training manager position for the 12 states in the division.

Jennae Biddiscombe (’03) lives in New Orleans, LA and works as the curator of education for the Hermann-Grima/Gallier Historic House Museums.

Michael R. Coughlan (’03) attends the University of Georgia as a PhD student in ecological and environmental anthropology.

Joe Dolan (’03) is currently marketing and PR coordinator for Pima Community College in Tucson. He spent four years working as the managing editor of the tribal newspaper of the Yavapai Apache Nation, a position he landed from his master’s internship work.

Nick Vanneman (’03) works as a clinical research coordinator with the non-profit organization Pacific Northwest Diabetes Research Institute.

Geneviève Dionne (‘02) is finishing her PhD dissertation in anthropology of development; she has conducted fieldwork at the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations for her PhD.

Mandy Johnson (‘02) is living on the Big Island of Hawai’i Nei, where she has been working as a Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park archaeologist.

Richard Fox (‘02) lives in Seattle, Washington and works as the operations manager for The Access Group, Inc.

Davina Two Bears (’02) is in a Ph.D. program at Indiana University.

Lisa Jane Hardy (’01) is an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at NAU.

Allison Israel (’01), spent four years with the American Holistic Nurses Association.

Robert (Robby) Heckman (‘01) is the office director for SRI’s Albuquerque and El Paso, Texas offices.

Adam Berg (‘00) works as senior archaeologist for ASM Affiliates, Inc.

Gay Chanler (‘00) works with Navajo sheepherders to promote and market the meat of the rare, heritage breed of Navajo Churro sheep and is co-leader of the Northern Arizona chapter of Slow Food USA.

Suzanne DeRosa (’99) is a project manager with Archaeological Consulting Services in Tempe.

Andy Bessler (’99) is currently a representative for the Sierra Club and has been with the Sierra Club since graduating in 1999. He is also the director of the Tribal Partnership Program.

Karla Wagner (’99) is a PhD candidate in health behavior research at the University of Southern California.

Joshua Gagne (‘98) works as the senior coordinator for qualitative research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA.

Dawn Hubbs (’98) living near Peach Springs, Arizona, is the archaeologist for the Hualapai Tribe.

Craig J. Johnson (’98) has worked for the National Park Service and is currently working as the lead archaeologist for the Bureau of Land Management.

Eliot Lee (’98) is the senior software developer for executive intelligence in Golden, CO.

Kim (Wegesin) Popetz (’98) is the collections manager for the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. When she’s not working with spies (seriously!) she’s spends her time with her husband and two sons.

Joanne Sanfilippo (’98) works as the environmental coordinator for the Medicine Bow/Routt National Forest.

Joe Garrotto (’97), lives in Carson City, Nevada as the Carson Ranger district archaeologist for the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

Dinorah (Dina) Martinez (‘96) works at the Moffitt Cancer Center and finishing a PhD in applied anthropology at the University of South Florida.

Sandra E. Rosas (’96) is a branch chief for the Office of Environmental Management in the California Department of Transportation.

Eleanor McLellan-Lemal (‘94) works as a behavioral scientist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (division of HIV/AIDS prevention).

David E. Purcell (’93) works for Four Corners Research as an archaeologist.

Javier Torres (’92) works as a regional project manager for water, wastewater and solid waste projects in the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo Leon as well as New Mexico and Texas.

James Vint (‘92) is completing his PhD in anthropology at the University of Arizona and is a project director for Desert Archaeology, Inc.

David Zimmerman (’92) currently works for the Arizona Department of Transportation as a planner/ historic preservation specialist and was previously an anthropologist for the Navajo Nation Historic Preservation Department.

Phil R. Geib (’85) is at the University of New Mexico where he is progressing toward a PhD in archaeology.