We are excited to announce the results of the recent election for the Register of Professional Archaeologists’ board and committee positions. Our heartfelt thanks to all who participated in this years’ running. Your dedication and commitment to our field are truly commendable.

Please join us in congratulating your colleagues in their newest endeavors:

• President Elect: Sara Ayers-Rigsby, MA RPA #16527
• Registrar: George Calfas, PhD RPA # 989245
• Nominating Committee Chair: K. Michaela Conway, MA RPA # 4925
• Standards Committee Chair: Dan Cassedy, PhD RPA # 18034
• Standards Committee Alternate: Heather Adams, MS RPA # 17350

We are looking forward to the fantastic opportunities and insights these new members of our board and committees will bring to the Register.

We would also like to express our deepest appreciation to all the candidates who ran for positions. While the election results may not have been in your favor, your willingness to serve and your passion for archaeology are highly valued. Your unique skills, perspectives, and experiences are vital to our organization and do not go unnoticed.

We believe that every member has the potential to make a significant impact, and we encourage you to continue to be involved. There are numerous ways to contribute and volunteer your service to our organization. From participating in our various initiatives and projects, to sharing your expertise in workshops and seminars, your involvement is crucial to our mission.

Remember, every effort counts, no matter how small it may seem. It’s the collective contributions of our members that make us stronger and help us advance the field of archaeology.

We look forward to your continued participation and are here to support you in any way we can. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need assistance.

Once again, thank you for your dedication and commitment. We are excited about the future of our organization and the role you all will play in it.

We're excited to share some fantastic news with you! The Register of Professional Archaeologists has joined forces with Lands' End to introduce an exciting enhancement to your shopping experience. Introducing the all-new Register Lands' End Online Store, where you can explore a wide range of high-quality products tailored to your preferences. Explore the Register Lands' End Online Store   Say goodbye to traditional shopping hassles and hello to seamless convenience. Through our collaboration with Lands' End, you now have access to an extensive selection of products, all available for online purchase. What's more, you can personalize your chosen items with Register official logos, directly through the Lands' End platform.  Why Choose the Official Register's Lands' End Store? Quality Assurance: Lands' End products adhere to Register's unwavering commitment to excellence. Convenience Redefined: Shop at your convenience, 24/7, and enjoy doorstep delivery. Tailored to You: Personalize your products by adding your choice of Register official logos.  How to Get Started: Visit the Register Lands' End Online Store: Go to the link https://business.landsend.com/store/theregister  Browse the Collection: Explore a diverse array of products, from clothing to accessories. Personalize Your Selection: Add your preferred Register logo to your chosen items. Create an Account: Sign up for an account to save logos, shipping information, and expedite checkout for faster order processing and easy access to order history.   Place Your Order: Complete your purchase and let Lands' End handle the rest.   Dig in and Happy Shopping!

The Register of Professional Archaeologists is holding its annual board and committee chair election! This is your chance to have a say in the future of the organization and help shape the direction of archaeology in the United States. Your vote is important, so please make sure to cast your ballot by the deadline. The ballot is easy to use and only takes a few minutes to complete. Please take a few minutes to make your voice heard! Go To Poll Page Get to know your candidates: RPA Ballot 2023 Thank you for your participation in the election! Together, we can make the Register of Professional Archaeologists even stronger. The poll will remain open until October 6th, 2023. IMPORTANT:  Participating in this poll will require that you log in with your membership credentials. If you don't remember your password, you can reset it with this link: https://rpanet.org/Sys/ResetPasswordRequest

August 17, 2023

The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) and the Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA) are pleased to announce that the two organizations are expanding their relationship to strengthen the SAA’s Meeting Safety Policy. The changes allow for reports of misconduct by attendees of SAA meetings or events to be referred to the RPA for investigation under the RPA’s Code of Conduct.

The RPA is the certifying body for archaeology in the United States. The SAA is a founding member of this vital organization, which serves as the backbone of the standards and certification of archaeologists. As the credentialing body, the RPA has expertise in investigating reports of misconduct in the archaeological community.

The new stronger and more formal partnership will help the SAA enforce its Meeting Safety Policy to the benefit of members and other meeting attendees. Christopher Dore, an SAA member who served on the SAA’s Findings Verification Committee and as a past president of the RPA says, “This is a significant step forward for the advancement of archaeology as a profession. Professions require accountability and adherence to a code of conduct. This agreement establishes the long-overdue use of the Register’s grievance process by the SAA.”

The SAA’s Meeting Safety Policy is detailed on its website and has been updated to reflect the new SAA/RPA agreement (Section VI). SAA president Dan Sandweiss says both organizations were careful to ensure the integrity of the process: “Reports submitted to the SAA through its Meeting Safety Policy process remain confidential throughout the investigative process. The goal of this groundbreaking agreement is to enhance the safety of the SAA annual meeting and its associated events.”

The expanded agreement between the organizations retains the RPA’s expertise as a credentialing entity and the SAA’s identity as a membership association.

Dear Archaeologist,

The US Department of the Interior has announced that the Secretary of the Interior (SOI) Professional Qualifications Standards (Standards) are currently under review. The SOI Standards were originally published in 1983 and have guided the trajectory of the cultural resources management (CRM) industry in the United States over the past 40 years.

The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) Government Affairs Committee plans to use this opportunity to advocate for the accurate addressing of the archaeological community’s concerns and contemporary practices. 

The SOI Standards Survey will remain open for 30 days until 5:00 p.m. EDT, Thursday, September 7. The survey is located here. We encourage all archaeologists of every career stage who work or intend to potentially work in US contexts to take this survey. While all questions are optional, please answer this survey as honestly and completely as possible. Additionally, please feel free to share this survey with anyone involved in US archaeology who would be willing to share their views. Your input here will help drive the future of archaeology in the United States.

If you have already answered this survey, many thanks. There is no need to do it again.Sincerely,

The SAA Government Affairs Committee Members

Dan Sandweiss
President, Society for American  Archaeology 

As a valued member of the Register of Professional Archaeologists, we are excited to invite you to participate in an important decision-making process. Your voice and participation are vital as we shape the future of our organization through new bylaws.

Over the past year, our Governance Advisory Committee and the Board of Directors have been diligently reviewing and revising our existing bylaws to ensure they align with our evolving needs and aspirations. We believe that these proposed bylaws will not only streamline our operations but also promote greater transparency, accountability, and Registrant participation.

Earlier this year, the Register circulated draft revised bylaws for Registrant review and comment. We received many comments and made revisions to improve them. Generally, the revised bylaws accomplish the following:

• Accommodate the addition of other categories of registration, such as the RA category, and leave open the possibility of establishing additional categories;
• Clarify the powers, responsibilities, and terms of the officers and directors of the board;
• Clarify and expand the procedures for decision making by the board, including a definition of quorum, limits of authority for officers;
• Rename secondary boards like the Standards Board to “councils” so that the only “board” is the board of directors;
• Rename and distinguish between standing committees and task forces, and establishes their limits of authority;
• Provide detailed fiscal management procedures and limitations; and
• Describe the process by which future amendments to the Bylaws are pursued.

Additional changes were related to the physical organization and order of topics presented, or to include language that is required by the IRS for the applicable section of the tax code for non-profits.

To proceed with this transformative step, we now invite you to vote on the proposed new bylaws. Your input will play a crucial role in shaping the direction and governance of the Register. The voting process will be conducted online and will commence on June 7, 2023, and conclude on July 5, 2023. During this period, all Registrants (RPA or RA) in good standing members will have the opportunity to cast their vote and make their voices heard. Student / Early Career members are not eligible for voting.

Cast Your Vote Today!

We understand that this is an important decision for our organization, and we encourage you to carefully review the proposed bylaws before casting your vote. To facilitate a thorough understanding of the changes, we have made available a copy of the new bylaws, along with a redlined copy and the existing bylaws. The poll will be active for 30 days. 

We firmly believe that a strong and vibrant organization relies on the active participation of its members. By casting your vote, you contribute to shaping our collective future and ensuring that the Register remains a thriving community.

Thank you for your dedication to the Register, and we look forward to your participation in this essential voting process.

Check out Register president Trish Fernandez along with her fellow organization presidents discuss "Experience of Degrees and Degrees of Experience" in this month's issue of the SAA Archaeological record! 

https://conta.cc/3BYAWSo

The Register is uniquely positioned to provide resources and excellence to affiliate organizations that represent local or state interests which could extend the Register’s networking, education, and outreach opportunities for their members as well.

Currently, there are 18 affiliate organizations across the US and Canada, but we would love to see more. That's where you come in. We need your help to reach out to your local and state archaeological societies and encourage them to become RPA affiliates. 

By becoming an affiliate, these local and state societies can enjoy many advantages, such as:

- Increased visibility and recognition as a professional group

- Access to RPA's online database of certified archaeologists

- Eligibility for grants and awards from the RPA

- Participation in RPA's networking meeting and workshops

- Collaboration and communication with other affiliates and the RPA board

To become an affiliate, a society needs to meet the following criteria:

- Have at least 10 RPA members in good standing

- Have a mission statement that aligns with the RPA's goals and values

- Agree to abide by the RPA's code of conduct and standards of research performance

- Pay an annual fee

If you know of a society that meets these criteria and might be interested in becoming an affiliate, please contact them and share this information with them. You can also direct them to our website (www.rpanet.org) where they can find more details and an application form.

We appreciate your support and involvement in the RPA. Together, we can make a difference for archaeology and its practitioners.

President’s First Quarter Report Greetings, Registrants! I hope you all had a nice winter and are ready for what promises to be a busy year for all of us. It certainly is busy here at the Register, so I’ll get right to it! The President of any organization is responsible for ensuring and facilitating the implementation of the organization’s Strategic Plan. Our Board approved the 2022-2027 Strategic Plan early last year. 2022 Strategic Plan Activities. The Board prioritized auditing our administrative and governance components and restructuring and revising them to ensure that the Register was functioning properly to support our programs. The audit also served to ensure that there is adequate documentation to provide consistency through leadership transitions. Having set those components on the right path, I am now able to focus on the program aspects of our Strategic Plan: credentialing and accountability, which translate to the registration and grievance processes. One of the guiding tenets of our reorganization has been to focus on credentialing and accountability, which is what the Register was created to do by our Founding Organizations. As a result, we have stripped ourselves of activities that other professional organizations do on a much grander scale in the belief that our energy and funds will better serve our archaeological community in the long run by doing so. To help guide this effort, one of my priorities as President has been to reach out to our fellow organizations to build community (also part of the Strategic Plan) and my request has been that we all figure out:  what the community’s priorities are what each organization does best, and how we can all work together toward our common goals while staying in our own lane. This effort seems to be working but it takes constant communication and recalibrating when we get distracted off the path. So, what does that mean for you, the Registrants, and the rest of the archaeological community? We hear you. We know that addressing the issues of adequate training, proper pay, respectful recognition of our various roles--respectful treatment throughout the community for all of us—is so overdue. Our Strategic Plan helps us here, and this is what we have in store for 2023: Diversity. First, I am seeking diverse representation in all of our committees, task forces, and advisory groups. And our new Nominating Committee is tasked to do the same for our elected positions (President, President-Elect, Secretary-Treasurer, Registrar, Grievance Coordinator Elect, and Standards Board). You should be seeing a voluntary survey soon asking for you to help us in this effort by telling us how you identify. Registration Categories. To focus on credentialing, we are reviewing our current requirements through our newly developed Registration Categories Task Force, comprised of a representative of a large CRM company (SEARCH), a small DBE CRM company (Dovetail Consulting), academia (Edward Gonzalez-Tennant, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley), a Registered Archaeologist (Jesica Huddleston), and a tribal representative (Wendy Ferris, Hoopa). Their tasks are to determine how we can broaden our categories to include all working archaeologists and to raise our highest level of qualifications to exceed the Secretary of Interior standards. This may require a change in acronyms. Professional Pathway. To assist archaeologists gain entry-level positions and advance in their career, we are developing a Professional Pathways program under the umbrella of our Professional Development Committee (which now encompasses the Continuing Education and Field Schools Certification programs). This is a major effort, the vision of which is for the Register to serve as a hub for the vast and growing network of grassroots and institutional training venues available to us. The Register will first have to create a core curriculum (in consultation with our community representatives), then we can certify even the smallest training event or on-the-job activity for Register credit. We would then track training through a sort of Passport program. Our hope is that training for our student members would be free or low-cost. Partners. Of course, we need help from our community, so our Outreach Committee will be focusing on strengthening our existing relationships with Founding Organizations and Affiliated Societies, and expanding our partnership program to include other like organizations (such as ACRA, National Association of Environmental Planners, the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists, and the European Association of Archaeologists) and to educational partners that would include universities (through the ACRA Academic Collaboration program), CRM companies (for on-the-job training or specific training courses), existing partners (Founding Organizations and Affiliated Societies) and other non-profits such as: Career Readiness Commission: https://anthrocareerready.net Partners for Archaeological Site Stewardship: https://sitestewardship.org Early Career Archaeologists  https://ecarchaeologists.com California Tribal Unilateral Apprenticeship Program https://ctuap.org. Our goal is for registration and partnership funding and pro-bono education services to sustain our overall funding needs. Please send us names of other organizations we should be reaching out to; we know there are so many out there and need your help. Financial Health. We also are auditing our financial policies (through the help of our new Financial Plan Task Force) to ensure we are not only running efficiently, but that we are also clear about what our needs are for operations and program expenses, that we ensure our liability insurance covers us in the event of the unfortunate, and that our investment account is appropriately funded. We hope this effort will identify where we may find additional savings and where we may see surpluses to put back into our programs. Grievance. We also hear you on the Grievance process and are working to review it to ensure it remains fair, swift, and anonymous. We also want to help archaeologists and other stakeholders understand their role in bringing grievances to us. Finally, we want to ensure the repercussions for breaching our Code are adequate. We will have more information updating you on our progress on these fronts throughout the year. Overall, we hope that these efforts continue the vision of the Register to increase professionalism in our industry by setting the standard and holding us all accountable. In your service, Trish Fernandez, M.A., RPA 12198 Register President president@rpanet.org

At The Register, we value the contributions of volunteers who help to plan and implement programs, events, and fundraising initiatives. Volunteers are essential to our successes as they share their knowledge, expertise, and enthusiasm to help our organization achieve its mission.

There are several different areas where volunteers are needed, including:

• Help with the planning and organizing of events and meetings
• Participation on committees
• Serving on the board of directors
• Assisting in the development of activities, projects, and fundraisers

We are seeking volunteers who are enthusiastic and committed, who have experience in the areas in which our organization works, and who are able to give their time on a regular basis. If you know of anyone who would be interested, please let us know.

If you would like to apply for a volunteer position or would like to recommend someone for a volunteer role, please contact our Communications Director, Dina, at commsdirector@rpanet.org.

We thank you for taking the time to consider this important request.

Sincerely,

The Register Team