NAGPRA Specialist, Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, Colorado State University
As a NAGPRA Specialist and cultural sensitivity expert for the Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML), Chris works with Native peoples to afford them the most equitable opportunities possible within the law and priorities of the contractors. Chris is interested in finding innovative ways to address the well-documented conflicts of interest in the practice of cultural resource management.
Chris attained his MA in Cultural Anthropology at Colorado State in 2014. While working towards his MA, he also served as NAGPRA Coordinator for the Department of Anthropology at Colorado State University. In this capacity, he gained compliance for 78 of 79 individual human remains, working with tribes throughout the Great Plains, especially the Ute Mountain Ute and the Navajo.
As a graduate student, his research analyzed the national and international social context of repatriation laws and revealed the power inequities for the various stakeholders in the NAGPRA process – especially the lack of meaningful empowerment for Native peoples.
Chris is interested in continuing this dialogue to get a better grasp on the epistemological, legal, and practical challenges of these cultural heritage issues. Ultimately, it is his goal to advocate for Native interests in their own cultural heritage.
