Staff

Reagan Ballard

Advisory Board Member

Reagan is a junior at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as a biology major on the pre-medicine track. She was introduced to OKPAN by the Voices of Oklahoma program, OKPAN’s high school internship, during her high school years and now maintains connection as a mentor. Reagan loves working with children and other adolescents, reading, and making a difference!

Reagan Bieligk

Intern

Reagan Bieligk is a junior at Holland Hall in Tulsa, OK. She participated in the Voices of Osage Summer Internship 2022. Reagan presented a poster at the 2022 Plains Anthropological Conference. In her free time, she enjoys reading and sewing. She is excited to see where her job at OKPAN is going to go.

Bobi Deere

Voices of Oklahoma Coordinator

Bobi Deere is ABD in anthropology with an archaeology focus. Bobi owns a CRM company with her husband that works on projects mainly in Oklahoma, but Missouri, Arkansas and Kansas as well. Bobi was a teacher and school counselor in a previous life, and she has combined her interests and experiences into the Voices of Oklahoma project, as well as the Artists to Archaeology project, both of which are active through OKPAN. Bobi is currently the PI at both her own company and a local environmental firm, and teaches as a TA at OU and with the Voices program in the Summers. Bobi is active in her communities in and near Tulsa, with a passion for empowering underrepresented groups through education, voter registration, financial support and other services. Bobi is a proud mother and grandmother, girl scout and graduate of the Tulsa Voluntary Integration experiment that set her on the path that she meanders today.

Michael Dillinger

Archaeological Skills Workshop Lead

Michael is currently getting his MA in Anthropology with a focus in Archaeology. He received his BA at a small school in East Tennessee. He is passionate about making archaeology accessible to the general public.

Meghan J. Dudley

Archaeology Education Coordinator

meghan.dudley@ou.edu

Meghan (she/her) is a PhD candidate at the University of Oklahoma. With a traditional archaeology background, she now applies those skills to studying LGBTQ+ heritage and material culture through the OKPAN's Rainbow Community Heritage Project (RCHP). She also continues to work on our K-12 education efforts (going on eight years!), through lesson plan writing and holding professional development opportunities for our state's teachers. To learn more, visit the pages for RCHP and K-12 education to learn more!

Jovie Isaacs Flying Out

Intern

Jovie is a second-year master's student in Museum Studies at the University of Oklahoma. After receiving their bachelor’s in Anthropology in 2022 from Southern New Hampshire University, Jovie found a love for the interdisciplinary work found in the world of museums. They are interested in preservation and curation and aspire to aid in teaching the general public about heritage and conservation.

Lily Gibson

Intern

Lily is a freshman at the University of Oklahoma majoring in Anthropology: Human Health and Biology with a pre-med track. She is also a member of the 2024 Pride of Oklahoma marching band. Lily was a part of OKPAN’s Voices of Oklahoma summer internship program in 2023, that focused on educating about indigenous boarding schools. Lily now works as a mentor for the Voices of Oklahoma program where she enjoys getting to help new interns have the amazing experience she did! Lily is a member of the Cherokee Nation and, inspired by her time in the internship, wants to work for her nation when she finishes schooling. During her free time, she likes to read, listen to music, and spend time with her friends!

Grace Harris

Intern

Grace is a current undergraduate student at the University of Oklahoma double majoring in Political Science and Native American Studies. She hopes to graduate and obtain a JD to help serve Native tribes both locally and federally.

Chelsy Lyons

Editor TCA

Chelsy is a journalist currently reporting in the United States and Europe, with the core of her work focusing on immigration, cultural trends, and an ethnographic approach to journalism. She has reported in multiple countries including: Italy, Germany, and Vietnam. Chelsy graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2020 with bachelor degrees in Anthropology and Organizational Leadership. She is now pursuing a master's degree in Journalism from the Harvard Extension School. In 2023, she became a contributing writer for The Community Archaeologist and a co-editor for the magazine in 2024.

Zac Marino

Graphic Designer

Zac is a designer and artist working with OKPAN to visually communicate everything from event fliers to the bi-annual magazine The Community Archaeologist.

Kaylyn Moore

Director of Operations

kaylyn.l.moore@ou.edu

Kaylyn Moore is a current PhD student at the University of Oklahoma. She recently completed her master's thesis focused on the co-creation of a Choctaw specific cultural heritage with archaeology as a tool curriculum for Oklahoma high school students. Currently, Kaylyn teaches the Voices of Oklahoma internship that introduces students to archaeology and cultural heritage. During the summer, she interns/volunteers on Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) projects with the Alta Heritage Foundation in Poland and Germany.

Heather Morey

Design Intern

Heather is a senior at the University of Oklahoma majoring in Visual Communication. She is a designer who collaborates with OKPAN for The Community Archaeologist. When not designing or doing homework, she can be found at home cuddling with her gray tabby cat Newt or attempting to complete her ongoing TBR book list.

Horvey Palacios

Associate Editor of the The Community Archaeologist

Horvey is a Ph.D. student at the University of Oklahoma studying molecular anthropology. His research focuses on the reconstruction of health, identity, and inequality through skeletal, biomolecular, isotopic, and archival methods. His regional focus is on Mesoamerica and the South Eastern United States. Horvey is passionate about conveying archaeology to the public through both engaged heritage outreach and science communication. He encourages anyone invested in archaeology and heritage to check out The Community Archaeologist and consider contributing to the online magazine's success.

Aaron Patton

Intern

Aaron Patton is a passionate junior majoring in Anthropology at the University of Oklahoma. With a strong commitment to using anthropology as a means for positive social change, Aaron has dedicated himself to making a difference in his community. Aaron's journey with the Oklahoma Public Archaeology Network (OKPAN) began during an internship called "Voices of Oklahoma." Since then, his partnership with OKPAN has deepened, allowing him to further explore the transformative power of anthropology. As an intern at OKPAN, Aaron has honed his skills in archaeology and anthropology while actively advocating for social change. He believes in the potential of anthropology as a tool to empower individuals and communities, fostering a greater understanding of our shared history and heritage.

Bonnie Pitblado

Executive Director

bonnie.pitblado@ou.edu

Bonnie is the Robert E. and Virginia Bell Endowed Professor of Anthropology at OU. She has been passionate about public archaeology for more than 25 years, having directed Utah State University’s Museum of Anthropology for a decade; conducted field research with community partners in Idaho, Utah, and Colorado; and founded OKPAN here in Oklahoma. Bonnie teaches graduate and undergraduate anthropology classes in topics ranging from “Community Archaeology” to “Social Justice in Archaeology" to "Research Design." She has published extensively on the importance of collaborative approaches in the archaeological discipline.

Isabelle Rosinko

Staff

Isabella Rosinko is a 2nd year Masters student at the Unviersity of Oklahoma. She is currently completing her thesis on the multifaceted roles of bison at an ancestral Wichita site in Eastern Oklahoma. Isabella is a zooarchaeologist with an interest in interspecies interactions, foodways, and applied anthropology. She contributes to OKPAN by helping with their social media pages. Isabella is also passionate about making archaeology an inclusive space and enjoys working with the Rainbow Community Heritage Project to encourage the preservation of queer history!

Juliana Rubinatto

The Community Archaeologist

Juliana Rubinatto Serrano is a Ph.D. student at the University of Florida. Her research studies past and present human-animal relationships in the Brazilian Amazon through zooarchaeology, ethnoarchaeology, and collaborative research. As the social media coordinator for The Community Archaeologist, she supports the magazine's mission to make archaeological knowledge more accessible to the public.

Abbey Sempebwa

Social Media Coordinator, DEI & Mentoring

Abigail Sempebwa graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Multidisciplinary Studies degree in 2021 and served as the TA in Voices of Greenwood that summer. Abigail recently earned her Master of Liberal Arts degree in Museum Studies from Harvard University. During her time at Harvard, she worked as a collections assistant at the Harvard Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments. She is a researcher for the Monuments Men and Women Foundation, who works to continue the unfinished mission of the Monuments Men- returning missing art to the rightful owners from Nazi looting. Abigail is currently a master’s student at Texas Christian University in art history with a concentration in High Italian Renaissance. She is incredibly passionate about sharing her studies with the African and African American community, which will in turn bring more diverse perspectives and experiences into the archaeological and museum fields.

Elijan Whalen

Intern

Elijah Whalen is a senior undergraduate student at the University of Oklahoma, majoring in anthropology. He is passionate about Indigenous heritage preservation and the ways that anthropology and archaeology can assist in that endeavor. After graduation, he plans to attend medical school.

Cheyenne Widdecke

Assistant Director of Operation

Cheyenne Widdecke is the Assistant Director of Operations for OKPAN. She graduated with her BA in Anthropology and Biological Sciences from the University of Alberta in 2022. She is currently an MA student at OU. Her research interests are community-based archaeology and boarding schools. Outside of class, you can find her watching sports, especially football and hockey.