The SAA Executive Director Search News & Updates

Search Timeline

May 2026

Search for the new Executive Director begins.  Kittleman and Associates contracted to manage the search. Interim Executive Director is announced.

June 2026

Kittleman and Associates study the SAA and develop an ideal candidate profile and search strategy.

July 2026

Kittleman and Associates implement the search strategy.

August 2026

Kittleman and Associates continue to implement the search strategy and conduct first reviews of applicants.

September 2026

First and second rounds of interviews.

October 2026

Final interviews (if needed) and meetings to make the hire.

November 2026

Onboarding the new hire.

 

 

Search Committee

The Search Committee for the new SAA Executive Director consists of SAA Board of Directors officers. You can contact anyone on the Search Committee with questions by clicking on their name below.

Committee Chair: Anna Prentiss, President-elect

Christopher Dore, President

Sarah Herr, Treasurer

S. Terry Childs, Secretary

Erik Otárola-Castillo, Secretary-elect

News

As of May 28, 2026, Kittleman and Associates have initiated their research process with interviews of staff, SAA Board members, and committee and task force chairs. To aid Kittleman and Associates in developing a search strategy, the SAA also emailed requests to chairs and to members at large to complete a survey to help shape the position profile and clarify priorities for the role of SAA Executive Director.


Updates

  • May 28: Initial member and stakeholder input begun
  • May 24: Ms. Dawn Jiménez begins as Executive Director (Interim)
  • May 12: SAA Search Committee established; Dr. Anna Prentiss selected as Chair.
  • April 29: Kittleman and Associates, LLC selected as SAA's search partner.

 

 

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Archaeologists Share What they Do

The Archiving the Archaeologists series is an oral history project of video interviews of archaeologists near retirement or already retired. Listen to real archaeologists reflect on their careers, how and why they became archaeologists, and their contributions to the discipline on the SAA YouTube channel.

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Be an Archaeology Education Coordinator

If you are an SAA member interested in serving as your area's Archaeology Education Coordinator, please contact [email protected].

SAA Education and Outreach Awards

SAA gives out several archaeology education and outreach-related awards each year: the Distinguished Achievement in Public Archaeology Award, the Excellence in Public Archaeology Programming Award, the Outstanding Public Archaeology Initiative Award, the Binford Family Award for Teaching Scientific Reasoning in Archaeology, the Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology Award for Archaeology And Education. Learn more about these awards, nominate a worthy individual or project, and view the past honorees!


Archaeology Education Newsletter Archive
1990-Present

SAA's archaeology education newsletter started as the Public Education Committee's print newsletter Archaeology & Public Education (A&PE). Running from 1990 to 1998, it featured news, events, and K-12 lesson plans aimed at expanding awareness of archaeology and heritage issues. It switched to a web format from 2000 to 2004. After a hiatus, it returned as Public Archaeology Notes (PAN) in 2016, managed by SAA's Archaeology Education Coordinators as a way to share news across regions.

Educational Videos

Looking for video content for your classroom? The SAA YouTube channel has short informational videos on a wide variety of topics, long-form interviews with archaeologists, and publicly-available online seminars.

State Archaeology Celebration Poster Contest

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SAA Committee on Repatriation

The Committee on Repatriation tracks national legislation, testifies at hearings when necessary, and represents SAA in discussions and negotiations on repatriation issues.

JOIN TODAY!

Join to lend your voice and your numbers to our efforts to ensure the archaeological record will exist for future generations.


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Online Learning Archive

SAA members, log into the Member Center to access 30+ hours of free continuing education recordings. This is an exclusive member benefit.

Publicly-Available Recordings

Everyone can enjoy and learn from these events. See SAA's Continuing Education playlist on YouTube for publicly-available recordings of past lectures.

Have a Request?

The seminars we offer on-demand will change over time. If there is a past online seminar recording you'd like to view, please let us know at [email protected]. We can't guarantee that we can meet your request, but your input will help us make decisions about what to offer next.

Download the SAA Principles of Archaeological Ethics

In 1996, the SAA Executive Board adopted its Principles of Archaeological Ethics, and in 2016, membership voted to add a Principle No. 9. In 2018, the SAA Board created a series of task forces which culminated in a 2024 update to the Principles, which were adopted overwhelmingly by members on the January 2024 ballot. Download the most current SAA Principles of Archaeological Ethics [PDF 183 KB] to print or use for classrooms or training.