Visit OKPAN on YouTube and access recordings of previous events.
Meet your OKPAN team! Within OKPAN’s structure, each of us are dedicated to sharing archaeology with everyone and to helping you achieve the same goal. Have a question for a team member? Email them at okarchaeology@gmail.com.
Click each team member's name for more information (listed alphabetically by last name):
Reagan Ballard
Reagan Bieligk
Delaney Cooley
Bobi Deere
Michael Dillinger
Meghan Dudley
Jovie Isaacs Flying Out
Lily Gibson
Grace Harris
Chelsy Lyons
Zac Marino
Ashley Moelling
Kaylyn Moore
Heather Morey
Horvey Palacios
Aaron Patton
Gabi Parker
Bonnie Pitblado
Isabella Rosinko
Juliana Rubinatto
Abbey Sempebwa
Cheyenne Widdecke
Elijah Whalen
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!
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.
Editor-in-Chief of the The Community Archaeologist
Delaney is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Oklahoma. She has a B.S. in Anthropology from the University of Iowa and an M.A. in Anthropology from OU. While her research focuses on cultural contact and the ties people forge with the landscape, Delaney is also passionate about sharing her love for archaeology with the public. She encourages anyone interested in Oklahoma archaeology and heritage to check out The Community Archaeologist. To contribute to the online magazine, please feel free to contact her directly.
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.
Archaeology Education Coordinator
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!
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.
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!
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.
Staff
Ashley is double majoring in anthropology and Native American studies. She is preparing to attend graduate school to pursue paleoethnobotany through an Indigenous perspective. She is committed to exploring the intergenerational relationships between people and plants within Native communities, aiming to contribute to the preservation of traditional wisdom and practices. Outside of her studies, Ashley is an oil painter using her art to express and connect with her heritage, often incorporating photos of her ancestors within contemporary and abstract spaces.
Director of Operations
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.
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.
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.
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.
Executive Director
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
