Nicole Armstrong-Best
Chair
Nicole has been the Director of Pueblo Grande Museum since 2015. She previously served as the Chief of Community Stewardship at Arizona State Parks, which included responsibility for archaeology, collections, curatorial support, volunteer and non-profit engagement, and educational programming.
Nicole is a Project Archaeology Master Teacher.
Jeri Meeks
Vice Chair
Jeri joined the Site Steward Program after retiring from Arizona State University, where she served as the Associate Director of Finance for the Office of the Senior VP, Research.
Jeri supports the Program and Foundation with her 30 years of not-for-profit business management experience, grant writing and website support skills. She is a lobbyist for the ASU Retirees Association and the Arizona Site Steward Program Foundation. Jeri is a Project Archaeology Master Teacher.
Pam Rottas
Secretary
Pam became a site steward in 2012 and believes that working to preserve our state's archaeological heritage is a responsibility we need to fulfill for future generations. She is an avid hiker, and grateful for every opportunity to enjoy the beauty of our state. After retiring from a full time career in special education, Pam has continued to work as an assistive technology consultant and also serve as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for children in the foster care system.
Kent Ennis
Treasurer
Kent served as the Deputy Director of the Arizona Department of Commerce 2004-09. He joined the Arizona State Parks as Assistant Director for Administration in 2009 and became Agency Deputy Director, Administration in 2012. While at State Parks he was responsible for budgeting, HR, IT, and most agency programs. Kent retired from State Parks in 2015.
Jessica Han
Board Member and Historic Preservation Officer
Jessica has worked nearly 14 years in heritage preservation in the private sector, government, and academic settings. She has an extensive background in compliance under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act the Antiquities Act of 1906, The Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act, The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, American Indian Religious Freedom Act, the Archaeological Resources Protection Act, and Executive Order 13007.
Keith Hollinger
Board Member and Site Steward
Keith Hollinger is a Senior Lecturer of Social Sciences and serves as the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the CISA-Social Sciences at the Arizona State University Polytechnic campus. He is responsible for the development of Community and industry partnerships in the East Salt River Valley and across the state, creating internship and funding opportunities for students.
Keith is dedicated to promoting cultural and ecological awareness and preservation as well as supporting the local non-profit community. He works with local non-profits and businesses to create public education and professional training courses He also consults with non-profits to create online classes that deliver K12 Arizona Education developed by non-profit groups to teachers as Continuing and professional education classes.
Caroline Klebacha
Regional Coordinator, Archaeologist
Caroline is an Archaeological Compliance Specialist with the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office. She has 20 years of experience in archaeology in the private and public sectors and has worked in the Northeast, Northern Plains, and Southwest. She has worked with Arizona archaeological resources since 2008. Caroline also serves as the Regional Coordinator for the Cave Creek Region.
Jill McCormick
Board Member and Historic Preservation Officer
Historic Preservation Officer for the Ft. Yuma Quechan Tribe. Previously Cultural Resources Manager for the Cocopah Tribe for 12 plus years. Site Steward Regional Coordinator for the Yuma Region for 20 plus years. Associate Professor of Anthropology at Arizona Western College.
Bernadine McCollum
Site Steward
Bernadine was a Program Manager for Intel Corp. for 25 years before moving to Arizona and working as a Conservation Coordinator at The Nature Conservancy's Hassayampa River Preserve for 13 years.
As board president of the Wickenburg Conservation Foundation, she works to preserve the natural beauty of the Sonoran Desert, promote responsible outdoor recreation and provide nature-based education programs for adults and students. She has been an AZ Site Steward since 2009 and currently serves on the AZ State Committee on Trails. She is an avid hiker, desert explorer and desert foods forager and instructor.
Lyle Tanner
Board Member and Site Steward
Lyle Tanner is a Solutions Architect at Cisco Systems, Site Steward, outdoors enthusiast, and "overlander". He joined the Site Steward Program in 2021 and immediately started to explore how he could apply his experience with technology to the program. Lyle has an A.A.S. in Network Administration from Mesa Community College and a B.S. in Technology Management from Northern Arizona University. He grew up in Arizona and enjoys exploring our vast public lands, learning about their cultural history, and is passionate about preserving and protecting these resources for future generations.
Mike West
Site Steward
Originally from NE Arizona, Mike was a seasonal firefighter for the forest service where he worked on Hot Shot, Firetruck, and Helicopter Attack crews for 2 years. Following that, he served as a Peace Officer with the Apache County Sheriff’s office for 4 years along I-40 both on and off the Navajo Reservation, doing mostly criminal investigations. After marrying he moved to Mesa to attend college full time. Mike worked at Intel Corp as a titled equipment engineer for 28 years. As of July 2021, he has been a member of the Arizona Archeological Society for 4 years and a Site Steward for 9 very busy months.