The Collective
Heritage Communities & Organizations
This is a small sample of the heritage communities and organizations with whom we partner. Collectively, we have partnered with over 60 communities and organizations.
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Established by a small group of Zuni tribal members in 1992, the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center is a Pueblo of Zuni Tribal Program dedicated to serving the Zuni community with programs and exhibitions that help us reflect on our past and are relevant to our current and future interests.
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Our mission is to foster understanding of and respect for the unique origin, culture, language, history, and way of life of the Núuchi (Ute People) and to advance people-to-people relations through inclusive and effective programming and services.Our vision is to be a nationally-accredited, internationally-respected cultural center that serves as a model for all tribal museums, archives, and libraries.
Government Agencies
This is a small sample of the federal, state, city, civil, conservation, and private agencies and organizations with whom we partner.
Foundations
This is a small sample of the foundations and grant making agencies with whom we partner.
Corporate & Private Partners
This is a small sample of our corporate and private partners.
Executive Leadership
These people lead the Heritage Lands Collective and are responsible for its day-to-day operations.
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MA, MS
Executive Director
Joseph Gazing Wolf is an interdisciplinary Indigenous philosopher whose approach integrates the fields of ecology, agriculture, education, anthropology, language, political science, history, and psychology. He currently holds 46 degrees, certificates, and licenses in these fields. Joseph has 38 years of experience working with Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color (BIPOC) across the world, including in Egypt, Palestine, Peru, Ecuador, Japan, and Thailand.
As a scholar in the academic and nonprofit sectors, Joseph partners with Tribal and BIPOC communities to support the revitalization of their ancestral lifeways, ecologies, and epistemologies. He also works with these communities to dismantle settler-colonial institutions and center Indigenous Knowledges, leadership, and research methodologies. He utilizes applied anthropological methods to document the history, stewardship, and cultural connections that Indigenous and other heritage communities have to their ancestral lands. He utilizes social science quantitative/qualitative methodologies to examine the relationship between Indigenous Knowledges and other epistemologies, and to document the experiences of Indigenous scholars in settler-colonial institutions.
As a land steward in the conservation and agricultural sectors, Joseph has worked for 37 years to increase representation of, build capacity in, and provide technical support for Tribal and BIPOC land stewards. He also partners with communities to support their LandBack, ecosystem restoration, food sovereignty, and environmental justice efforts. He has developed hands-on college and university curricula for outdoor experiential learning, heritage sites, buffalo management, and prairie stewardship. He has also raised funds and led outdoor excursions for underrepresented student populations for over 25 years.
As a community advocate in the nonprofit sector, Joseph’s 30 years of international NGO experience has prioritized food security, environmental justice, houselessness, and the well-being of children, women, and elders.
Joseph is completing his doctorate in environmental life sciences at Arizona State University, where he holds the title of Senior Global Futures Scientist in the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Future Laboratory. He plays the Plains Indian flute, is a lifelong practitioner of Japanese Karate, and is a traditional woodworker.
Staff & Research Associates
These people are involved in all aspects of HLC’s research, education, outreach, and partnerships.
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MA
Research Associate
Former President & CEO
HLC co-founder
Jessica is an ethnographer who has been working in applied cultural anthropology since 2006. She has worked on over 40 ethnographic and tribal consultation projects with more than 55 tribes funded by a variety of tribal, private, state, and federal agencies including the BLM, NPS, Colorado State Historical Fund, DOD, NIH, and DOE. In addition to LHRC, Jessica has worked on these projects through Living Heritage Anthropology, the Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology, Dominguez Anthropological Research Group, and Northern Arizona University, among others. Additionally, she served as the park ethnographer for Grand Canyon National Park, where she compiled and managed ethnographic data for the Ethnographic Resources Inventory database and assisted the Tribal Program Manager with tribal consultation and outreach. Her experience includes NHPA, NEPA, and NAGPRA compliance, as well as the identification of TCP and sacred sites. Jessica specializes in ethnographic overviews, Community Based Participatory Research and Collaborative Ethnography, Cultural Resource Management, cultural landscape studies, and ethnohistories. She is the host of the Heritage Voices Podcast. She is the Small Business Representative on the Board of Directors of the American Cultural Resources Association.
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Ph.D.
Research Associate
Former Vice President of Research
HLC co-founder
Dr. Van Vlack is an applied anthropologist with 15 years of experience related to cultural and natural resources projects. Dr. Van Vlack is highly trained and experienced in conducting tribal consultations and ethnographic research. She has participated in a range of ethnographic studies such as environmental impact assessments, cultural heritage preservation studies (including TCP Studies), cultural landscape studies, ethnographic overview and assessments, and ethnoecological studies. Kathleen has worked with over 50 tribes on 30 projects funded by the NPS, BLM, USFS, DOD and DOE. These projects were mandated under various federal laws and regulations including NEPA, NHPA, and AIRFA. Dr. Van Vlack’s educational training in American Indian Studies and Applied Anthropology has afforded opportunities to gain knowledge in not only the foundations in cultural and applied anthropology but also in American Indian law and policy, ethnohistory, indigenous methodologies, and traditional ecological knowledge. This multi-disciplinary approach has been valuable in working with tribes across the U.S. in that it helps pinpoint key cultural, social, and environmental issues and possible solutions. Currently, Kathleen is serving as the past-president of the High Plains Society for Applied Anthropology and editor-in-chief of The Applied Anthropologist. Dr. Van Vlack's Academia.edu Page
Former Staff & Research Associates
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MA
Research Associate
Lyle Balenquah is a Hopi archaeologist, ethnographer, and educator who has worked in the American Southwest for twenty years. He is a member of the Greasewood Clan from the village of Bacavi and has focused his professional career on documenting and educating about ancestral Hopi settlements and lifeways. Through his current work as an independent consultant he works with organizations including Archaeology Southwest, the Grand Canyon Field Institute, Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, Lore of the Land, and Friends of Cedar Mesa on archaeological and educational projects. He has previously worked for the National Park Service, the Hopi Tribe, Colorado River Indian Tribes, the Sipaulovi Development Corporation, Inc. and the Museum of Northern Arizona. He additionally served as Co-Director of the Native Voices on the Colorado River program. Lyle has an extensive cultural resources publications list and is the co-host of the Heritage Voices Podcast.
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MA
Research Associate
Sean is an ethnographer and historian. Since 2007, Sean has worked with Native American communities in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Nevada on cultural and natural resource projects and oral histories. As a graduate student, he served as a research intern with the Jicarilla Apache Nation Tribal Historic Preservation Office, conducting oral history interviews with tribal elders on the Jicarilla Apache Reservation. Sean is a former AmeriCorps volunteer, where he served as an educator and facilitator of a youth agriculture program.
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MA
Research Associate
Shawn is a cultural anthropologist and ethnographer with over 16 years of experience related to cultural and natural resources projects. He has extensive experience with ethnographic, traditional use, and ethnoscience studies. Since 2002, he has worked on over a dozen such studies coordinating with over 45 tribes in the western United States and has worked with a wide variety of tribal, private, and state and federal agency clients including the NPS, BLM, and BOR. Shawn has extensive experience conducting tribal consultation, ethnographic overviews (including identification of TCP and sacred sites), socio-cultural analysis, and community assessment studies for projects as part of NEPA and NHPA compliance. Shawn’s background in cultural anthropology, natural resources, and archival research has allowed him to work on projects that dynamically bridge disciplines to provide holistic understanding of human and natural systems. Shawn is currently the Past-President of the High Plains Society for Applied Anthropology, a non-profit organization of social science practitioners based in Colorado with regional membership.
Board of Trustees
These are the people who make all the major decisions for HLC. This includes our mission, vision, scope of work, strategic plan, etc.
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MA
Chair of Board of Trustees
Anna Cordova is the City of Colorado Springs’ first staff archaeologist. A Colorado Springs native and graduate of the University of Colorado - Colorado Springs, Cordova has over 15 years of experience in professional archaeology and ethnography. As an active member of Colorado’s Indigenous community, Cordova’s focus throughout her career has been on Indigenous involvement in the field of archaeology. She concentrates on tribal and Native community consultation, repatriation issues, and general communication with indigenous peoples about the various archaeological sites she has had a part of. A central focus of her career is to work toward a decolonized archaeology. Her experience includes extensive collaboration with multiple agencies such as FEMA, BLM, USFS, OAHP, and many private companies and contractors. She has experience with NHPA and NAGPRA compliance. Cordova has archaeological and ethnographical experience in several states, with most of her work taking place in Hawaii and in Colorado, where her work as Lead Archaeologist for the City of Colorado Springs involves frequent tribal consultation and stewardship of the archaeological resources of Colorado Springs’ city parks and open spaces.
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Secretary and Outreach ChairJennee has a passion for community, history, culture, and education. She has spent over 20 years teaching in a variety of settings, including dance, early childhood education, and museum interpretation and programs. She loves connecting people through stories and shared experiences and has been honored to collaborate with Tribal representatives on programs and projects. She is a Certified Interpretive Guide (NAI), and hopes to use her interpretive and educational skills, combined with her experience in media, to inspire support for the work HLC does. She serves the HLC Board as Secretary and in PR/Marketing. She is also on the board of directors for the Evergreen Mountain Area Historical Society.
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TreasurerKristy Sholly is the Chief of Interpretation and Visitor Services for Mesa Verde National Park. She has been an interpretive park ranger for 25 years, sharing her love of our nation’s natural and cultural heritage in ten national parks, including Arches, Canyonlands, Death Valley, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Kenai Fjords, Mojave, Olympic, and Zion. Kristy’s expertise includes team building and collaborating with partners in the development of exhibits, film, and interpretive media. She is currently serving on the HLC Board as its Treasurer.
Former Board of Trustees
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PresidentDr. Gantt is the Director of Education at Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. He previously shared his time working between their Education and American Indian Initiatives programs. After receiving his Ph.D. at the University of New Mexico, he was a post-doctoral fellow at Brown University and Indiana University. He specializes in visual and public anthropology from ethnographic, archaeological, and documentary film perspectives in the Southeastern and Southwestern United States. His dissertation focused on Choctaw lifeways and cultural preservation.
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TrusteeMs. Crum worked in archaeology, tribal consultation, and interpretation for the United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Navajo Nation, and private companies for several decades. She wrote the book People of the Red Earth: American Indians of Colorado. Since her retirement, she has continued as a cultural resources consultant and an author. preservation.