We are pleased to announce that Travis Armstrong has been elected as the Secretary/Treasurer. Additionally, Zach Hamilton-Cruze has been elected as the Grievance Coordinator.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s election!

Archaeologist Dr. Alex Kirkish died December 17, 2023 in San Diego, CA. Born in San Francisco, California in 1946, he became an avid long-board surfer during high school in the Monterey area.

With a young family at his side, he caught the archaeology bug while attending University of California, Santa Barbara, working on Burton Mound among other sites, under the direction of Dr. Claude Warren, and receiving his BA in anthropology.

He worked in archaeology labs at Arizona State University, went on numerous geology field trips (just as plate tectonics were coming to the fore), and later attended University of California, Riverside, where he obtained his MA degree in anthropology (specialization archaeology). During these years he actively worked with local Native Americans in protection of cultural sites.

Before obtaining professional work as County Archaeologist for Ventura, California, he helped support his family as a plumber, saying later “It’s all earth science.” There, he continued developing deep relationships with the regional Native American communities, which became a lifelong commitment. Eventually he began working with the Bureau of Land Management in Colorado, returning to his beloved home state in the late 1970s, and began working on major projects in Cultural Resource Management over much of Southern California.

During most of the 1980s, when paying jobs in archaeology became scarce, Alex obtained his California State Contractors license and got his own plumbing business up and running.

By the late 80s he resumed his wide and varied career in Cultural Resource Management, working for the Department of the Interior, and later for the United States Air Force. He held both a Standard Teaching Credential and a California Community College Credential. He loved teaching classes in the schoolroom as well as in the field, and greatly enjoyed demonstrating and teaching flintknapping.

Eventually Alex worked as archaeologist for the California Department of Transportation in Southern California.

His long fascination with the various beads found at coastal and inland Native American sites led him to pursue his doctorate in the field from the University of Leicester.

His thesis “Bead Exchange Among the Historic Kumeyaay Indians” examined the dramatic change in bead types found at Kumeyaay sites during the historic period, linking it to demographic disruption and examining connections with the revitalist Chinigichinish cult that may have been a reaction to this disruption. He was admitted to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by the University of Leicester on July 10th, 2013.

In his "retirement," Alex was a frequently sought consultant owing to his deep expertise with beads.

A dedicated father and husband, occasionally impatient, but just as impatient to shrug it off with an easy laugh, he was always active around the house and next to his beloved cats, he loved the garden the most. We miss the annuals that he planted and the beautiful wildflowers. He loved nature, but he was most at home in the desert, enjoying its quiet beauty.

He is survived by his wife Christina (Kit) and his son Jandro. We are bereft in so many ways: his colleagues and collaborators have lost a vast and hard-won store of expert knowledge. His friends and family miss much more of course – the pleasure of his company, his friendship, and the wildflowers.

The Register of Professional Archaeologists is committed to supporting excellence in professional archaeology as a discipline. Equally important to us is that we support Registrants by offering resources that may no longer be within financial reach for many of our Registrants. We’ve heard many of you express concerns about pay gaps, lack of employer-provided benefits, and other inequities and we are trying to do our part to help. By opening up our pockets or negotiating with service providers, we’ve recently added a number of other benefits and discounts for our Registrants. Current benefits include:

Pathways to Professionalism: Discounted rates on professional development workshops and on-demand courses (with new opportunities coming soon) through our partnerships with ACRA, SAA, and other professional organizations

Job Seeking Tools: A professional profile that can help reach prospective employers, a job posting board that helps you find employers that are looking for Registrants, and a database of regional or agency specific standards and guidelines to help brush up on local requirements

Academic Databases: Free access to JSTOR and eHRAF Archaeology for scholarly articles and literature

Swag: “Print-on-Demand” RPA clothing, hats, and other branded merch from Land’s End

Discounts: Get 8% off field supply orders from Forestry Suppliers, and for your furry field techs, a discount on SPOT Pet Insurance (yes, that’s real!)

We are continually searching for ways that we can help provide services and benefits to our Registrants. If you have ideas on how the Register can leverage our resources to help offset rising costs of living or to bridge the gaps we face, we’re all ears. Send your suggestions or questions to Executive Director Michael O’Toole (ExecutiveDirector@rpanet.org) or President Lisa Westwood, RPA (President@rpanet.org).

Keep on digging!

The Register of Professional Archaeologists (Register) is calling on you as a Registered Professional Archaeologist to submit nominations (that includes yourself) for our upcoming elections. Registrant nominations are critical to the continued guidance of the Register as it presents another forum for you as individuals to make your voices heard.

The following positions are open for election this fall. Position descriptions are provided below.

• Secretary/Treasurer (Jan 2025 – Dec 2026)
• Grievance Coordinator Elect (Jan 2025 – Dec 2026)

The Nomination and Election Schedule is as follows:

August 1, 2024            Nominations due to executivedirector@rpanet.org

September 1, 2024      Ballots to Registrants

September 30, 2024    Elections Close (midnight)

Interested parties should submit a position statement, bio, and headshot by August 1, 2024.

Thank you for your help in guiding the Register through another year!

Position Descriptions

Secretary/Treasurer – Duties and Responsibilities

The Secretary/Treasurer is responsible for the minutes of all Board and Executive Committee meetings and have all other powers assigned by the Board, the President, or the RPA Bylaws.

Prior to the beginning of the fiscal year, the Secretary/Treasurer works with the Executive Director on a proposed operating budget to be presented to the Board for approval and a financial statement showing the Register’s financial position at the close of the fiscal year.

This position is subject to a background check.

Grievance Coordinator Elect – Duties and Responsibilities

The Grievance Coordinator Elect shall assist the Grievance Coordinator in ensuring allegations of violations of the codes of conduct of the Register are addressed in accordance with the Grievance Council Procedures.

In the event the Grievance Coordinator is unable to complete their term, the Grievance Coordinator Elect will move into that role.

Today, we are thrilled to share with you a momentous occasion in the history of the Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA)!

We have officially welcomed our 5,000th registrant!

This is not just a number—it’s a testament to the collective passion, dedication, and expertise that each one of you brings to the field of archaeology.

Reaching this milestone is a reflection of the trust and value placed in the Register's commitment to uphold the highest standards of research, stewardship, and ethical practices in archaeology. It’s a celebration of the diversity and depth of knowledge that our community represents.

As we mark this significant achievement, let’s take a moment to reflect on the journey that has brought us here and to look forward to the future we will shape together. The Register remains dedicated to supporting our registrants through resources, networking opportunities, and advocacy for professional growth.

Thank you for being an integral part of this incredible success. Your contributions are shaping our profession and paving the way for future innovation.

We are excited to continue to explore, discover, and protect the invaluable insights that your collective experience in archaeology provides into human history.

Understanding that obtaining research resources can be a challenge, the Register began offering Registrant access to JSTOR publications in 2021 and now are pleased to include Yale's Human Relations Area Files for Archaeology (eHRAF Archaeology) to assist our Registrants in necessary archaeological research. The goal of the Human Relations Area Files (HRAF) is to foster an understanding of cultural diversity and commonality, both in the past and the present. To achieve this, they produce scholarly resources and infrastructure for research, teaching, and learning, and support and conduct original research on cross-cultural variation. The database is subject-indexed to the paragraph level by HRAF anthropologists, according to HRAF’s modified Outline of Cultural Materials (OCM). This comprehensive subject retrieval system extends search capability well beyond keyword searching, allowing for precise subject retrieval. eHRAF Archaeology is organized by regions and archaeological traditions. An archaeological tradition is defined as a group of populations sharing similar subsistence practices, technology, and forms of socio-political organization, which are spatially contiguous over a relatively large area and which endure temporally for a relatively long period. Each tradition consists of a general summary and documents including books, journal articles, dissertations, and manuscripts. We invite you to learn more about the traditions covered in the database and explore how eHRAF Archaeology can enhance your research. Explore the HRAF Access Portal for more information! We continue to look for ways to bring more benefits to your Register engagement. Please let us know if you have any suggestions, comments, or concerns!

Hats off to Jennifer Rollins, one of our newest student registrants, who just hit the jackpot in our new sign-up raffle! Get ready to amplify your life with your brand-new waterproof Bluetooth speaker!

Enjoy, Jennifer!

The RPA Field School Certification committee, which also manages the Field School Scholarship program, has decided to award the following students of this year’s Field School Scholarships!

We thank you for your dedication to teaching and supporting students in their training as they work towards their career and education goals!

Please join us in congratulating:

• Rosemary McGuire
• Kaitlyn McNulty
• Maxine Trujillo

The Register is pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for our early career professionals and students.

Sign up for our Early Career/Student Registration during the week of April 15th to the 20th or at the SAA Annual meeting and you will automatically be entered for a chance to win a fantastic prize!

The grand prize is a state-of-the-art Bluetooth Speaker with Lights. This portable wireless speaker delivers HD sound and supports TWS dual pairing. It’s waterproof and compact, making it perfect for trips into the field and all sorts of travel. Plus, it doubles as a night light party speaker, instantly turning any space into a party zone.

Share this with your students and early career colleagues and let them know that by signing up, they’re not only giving themselves a chance to win this amazing prize, but they're also supporting their archaeological community and opening a world of opportunities.

So, don’t wait! Sign up today and help find our lucky winner!

Archaeology Career Salary Comparison 2023

Choosing to become a Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA) can significantly boost your career prospects and earning potential. A comparison of job listings posted on the RPA website and similar positions posted on Google careers in 2023 reveals a substantial difference. On average, Register Preferred positions offer an annual salary of $92,856, which is a significant 15.10% increase compared to the average salary of $80,660 for comparable positions without preference for the Register. Moreover, registered professionals earn a remarkable 35% more than the national average salary for Archaeologists in the US, which is $65,000. Therefore, becoming a registered archaeologist is not just a good career choice, it’s a strategic move that can lead to greater financial stability and professional advancement.

Register Preferred Job Postings 2023

 

Position Name	Employer	Location	Date	Annual Pay
Project Archaeologist	Coastal Environments	TX, LA	10/31/2023	75000
Cultural Resource Specialist 2	HDR Inc	Sacramento, CA	7/14/2023	83000
Archaeological Crew Chief	Terracon	Columbia, SC	6/30/2023	45900
Archaeological Principal Investigator	Terracon	Chicago, IL	6/1/2023	98000
Archaeological Principal Investigator	Coastal Environments	LA, TX, MS	5/8/2023	115000
District Archaeologist	Caltrans	Orange County, CA	4/26/2023	96000
Archaeologist	MA DOT	Boston, MA	4/18/2023	110000
Cultural Resource Group Manager	Helix Environmental	CA	3/13/2023	140000
Project Archaeologist	Metric Environmental	IN	2/16/2023	72800
Average Annual Salary				92856

 

 

Non-Registered Positions Posted on Google Career Search

 

Position Name	Employer	Location	Date	Annual Pay
Project Archaeologist	SWCA	Bismark, ND	10/26/2023	86000
On Call Field Archaeologist	WSP	Campbell, CA	10/27/2023	41600
Staff Level Archaeologist	SWCA	Pasadena, CA	10/26/2023	69000
Principal Technical Consultant, Archaeologist	ERM	Seattle, WA	10/17/2023	123000
Staff Research Scientist, Archaeologist	Desert Research Institute	Las Vegas, NV	10/26/2023	56000
Senior Archaeologist	Montrose Environmental	CA	10/31/2023	95000
Senior Archaeologist/Principal Investigator	AECOM	Portland, OR	10/26/2023	80000
Senior Archaeologist/Principal Investigator	AECOM	Denver, CO	9/30/2023	80000
Archaeologist	ICF	Tallahassee, FL	9/30/2023	109000
Senior Archaeologist	IN DOT	Indianapolis, IN	10/30/2023	67000
Average Annual Salary				80660