Dava Davy McGahee grew up on the Gulf of Mexico in Florida and received a BA in anthropology from the University of South Florida. Her field work as an anthropologist was done in Guatemala through the Universidad de San Carlos. Later, she earned an MS in sociology, an MA in world history, and certification as a funeral director.

She is an accomplished anthropologist, park-ranger, and interpreter. Her areas of expertise span field studies, ethnography, administration of park resources, personnel supervision, public relations, teaching, design and production of museum programs and exhibits. She currently owns and operates DAVA Cultural Legacy and volunteers for both the National Park Service and the Fundación de Parques y Museos de Cozumel, Quintana Roo.

Dava acquired her experience as an NPS archeologist, cultural and historical anthropologist, naturalist, curation technician and interpreter as Staff Archaeologist, Capitol Reef National Park Ranger/Interpretation, San Antonio Missions NHP, Museum Technician/Curation, NPS SWRO, Santa Fe, Chief of Interpretation, Guadalupe Mountains NP, Staff Archeologist, Ocmulgee NM, Park Ranger/Law Enforcement, Guilford Courthouse NMP, Park Ranger/Environmental Education, Saguaro NM, Park Ranger, Grand Canyon NP, and as the Anthropology Department’s  Research Assistant at the University of South Florida.

Read Dava’s blog here. Access Dava’s resume here.

 

Catherine Alvarado Cilfone is a 7^th generation Texan and a passionate storyteller and advocate for the preservation of our natural, cultural, and historic treasures. As an interpreter for the National Park Service she champions some of the forgotten or overlooked stories of diversity that make up our great society. Catherine’s keynote address to the Interpretation Australia National Symposium in 2011 addressed location-based technology and its role in the storyteller toolkit. Her documentary Colonial San Antonio films can be viewed on the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park website. Her professional skills and expertise, along with her high energy, recommend her for any challenging project. In 2015, Catherine climbed over 19,000 feet to the roof of Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro.

Catherine’s projects include: Colonial San Antonio Documentary Videos (Producer), Dial & Discover San Antonio Missions Mobile Phone Tour-English and Spanish (Co-written and produced with Dava McGahee), NASA Earth to Sky Interpreting Global Climate Change (Evaluator), Capulin Volcano National Monument, (Exhibit Design), Yosemite Conservancy (Anniversary Film Coordinator). For additional information about Catherine’s project visit her website.

Access Catherine’s resume here.

Gaea McGahee (B.A., and M.A. Anthropology, 2002) lives near Questa, NM where she spends time exploring. She’s a lover of deserts and open spaces, as well as homemaking and expansive travel. She’s ventured from her home state of New Mexico to travel in South and Central America, the Philippines, Germany, and Turkey. She worked as an archaeologist in Abydos, Egypt for four seasons with New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts long-term archaeological research program.

She’s an adjunct anthropology professor and has taught for Doña Ana Community College (in southern NM) since 2003. She adapted her courses to an online learning platform in 2008, staying connected to her students when working from northern NM and abroad. She created courses to co-teach with a history professor (UNM-Taos), drawing on anthropology’s interdisciplinary strengths, to address climate change and adaptation in past societies, and to explore current adaptive strategies and community resilience.

Gaea works with the nonprofit LEAP – Land Experience and Art of Place – in and around the community of Questa, NM. She has recently established the Questa Farmers Market to support: the regeneration of the local food system, build resiliency (post closure of molybdenum), community health, local foods and entrepreneurial endeavors. She owns a small business, Yoga Sala Questa, where she also teaches.

She brings her perspective – rooted in anthropology and informed by life in New Mexico and global travel – as well as her artistic and technical skill to our collaborative projects and events. In the photo above she is mitigating graffiti as a volunteer for the Nation Park Service.

Access Gaea’s resume here.

Carl McGahee grew up, the son of an air force officer in the strategic air command. His father had assignments throughout the U.S. and Pacific area. As a kid, the world went on forever and was for exploring! The details were fascinating!

Carl graduated in chemistry from the University of South Florida and began teaching. He included environmental education for his students due to his National Park Service (NPS) environmental study area training. Over time, his fervor for preservation has moved to recovery techniques and tools for defaced glyphs found on panels throughout public and private lands. It is a minimized process of obscuring the spoil on panels, resurfacing, and preparation to accept earth-color blending.

In the on-site photo (above) Carl is preparing, initial photo documentation of mitigation at Oak Creek Canyon, Capitol Reef National Park in southeast Utah.

He has learned to value open spaces; the influences of the night sky on all who have looked up; and quiet memories in canyons of ancient lives. Those who lived there left exquisite statements on rock to testify thousands of years later. His work as a volunteer in the park (VIP) has been to provide documentation of multiple back country panel sites including petroglyphs, pictographs, ancient structures, and lithic scatter. These represent story-lines, ceremonies, and vital traditions remembered in tribal histories and Pow-Wows today.

His documentation is used to support interpretive programs and create public recognition of ancient cultural resources. He has worked with NPS archeologists and anthropologists to mitigate/remove damage to image panels resulting from visitation and vandalism.

In his alternate-life, risk management work, Carl performed as a board certified, professional ergonomist (CPE) for human factors engineering. He provided best safeguarding & work practices for material and tool use. He has used “demonstration of principle” survey video and photos to train for risk recognition & remedy.

He authored the System Safety Program Plan for Bechtel National Inc. for the Ground Based Free Electron Laser (GBFEL) at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), NM. He had only one lost-time injury in four years managing the BDM company safety program at the Department of Defense research & development site for high energy laser system testing (HELSTF).

Though a diverse career, it continues to be a career of preservation of resources & assets, best practices and lessons learned. It is all still fascinating.

Access Carl’s resume here.

JoAnn Dawson grew up moving every three years with her family, finding herself looking forward to the next move as a new adventure. She spent her high school years in Germany which afforded her the opportunity to explore not only Germany, but other European nations as well. This only heightened her curiosity and love for the diversity as well as the similarities found in different cultures.

After years of using her math and organizational skills as office manager at a pediatric clinic and law firm, she finally accomplished her dream of becoming an instrument rated private pilot before heading west to pursue a career with the National Park Service. She started out as an interpreter and fee collector, but soon became known for her graphic design skills. She became proficient in the NPS style guidelines and went on to design numerous site bulletins, waysides, bulletin boards, temporary visitor center displays, as well as designing the multiple award winning bilingual book Why the Moon Paints Her Face Black. JoAnn also studies history and geology and explores archeological sites.

JoAnn is currently a freelance graphic designer and an Advanced Ground Instructor in aviation. She volunteers her graphic skills to the Vintage Sailplane Association as well as local affiliates of the 99s, an international organization of women pilots. The services she provides include layout designs for articles, advertisements, magazine covers, and logos. JoAnn continues to travel and explore, bringing her artistic talent and attention to detail to our team.

Access Joann’s resume here.