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Margaret Cohen

Margaret Cohen’s academic training is in Hebrew Bible, and her archaeological training comes from more than twenty years of excavations in Israel, Jordan, and Egypt. She is now wrapping up nearly eight years living on the campus of The Albright Institute in Jerusalem where, in pre-COVID times, she was an active participant in the local scholarly community exchange. Prior to her time in Jerusalem, Margaret taught in both large research and small liberal arts settings and has a deep appreciation for and interest in the many forms of the student experience. Her current research focuses on foodways, how food power was wielded in the biblical world, and how some modern-day food movements are informed by ancient texts and practices.

Mission Statement: As we continue to experience uncertainty and change on a global scale, both steadiness and agility are required for ÂÌñÒùÆÞ to flourish, to contribute its expertise to the discipline, and to promote its relevancy both in academic and non-academic communities. This may mean altering old models that can feel comfortable, but are not necessarily as productive as they once were, such as imagining future possibilities for scholarly meetings, developing new kinds of venues for publication and exchange of ideas, and embracing innovative programs appearing elsewhere in academia: small, virtual workshops; opportunities reserved for non-TT scholars; social and educational opportunities for members of the general public; the use of virtual tools to connect with future scholars, such as high-school seniors thinking about college or college students considering majors. Driven by its membership, ÂÌñÒùÆÞ must constantly adapt to the, at times, divergent needs of those members. Those working to make their mark, those navigating life within their academic positions as well as outside the workplace, and those with hard-won experience that can better the journey for others, all must succeed for the organization to succeed. I am honored to be asked to stand for election to the dedicated group already doing this work, striving to make future-ÂÌñÒùÆÞ meaningful for us all.

Jane DeRose Evans

Jane DeRose Evans is Professor and Chair of Art History at Temple University. She specializes in the archaeology of the Roman provinces and especially in ancient numismatics. She is a Fellow of the American Numismatic Society and a member of the Royal Numismatic Society. After excavating for many years in France, she is now project numismatist for the Harvard/Cornell Excavations in Sardis and the George Washington University excavations at Bir Madhkur (Jordan). Recently, she brought to publication The Mithraeum at Caesarea Maritima (ÂÌñÒùÆÞ Press) and is completing the final publication on the U-Shaped Building at Caesarea.

Mission Statement: ÂÌñÒùÆÞ has been an important part of my scholarly life since graduate school, as a place to find out about excavations and new ways of thinking about the cultural history of the southern Levant and Anatolia. More recently, I have been an active member with the women of ÂÌñÒùÆÞ, Chair of the Cultural Heritage Committee, and member of the Executive Committee. I am proud to see ÂÌñÒùÆÞ tackle important questions of cultural heritage and ethical responses to threats to the region’s archaeological heritage, as well as undertaking initiatives to extend our diversity and equity footprint. We must retain our valuable mission to bring a greater understanding of our past to a wider audience while we continue to focus our attention on the ethical issues that arise as we seek partnerships with diverse audiences here in North America and overseas.

Erin Darby

Erin Darby is an associate professor of Religious Studies at the University of Tennessee and the UT Faculty Director of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. She is an expert in the Hebrew Bible, archaeology, and ancient Near Eastern history and literature. At the University of Tennessee, she is one of the founding members of the Partnership for the Academic Study of Early Judaism, the Knoxville ArabFest cultural festival, the UT Archaeology Day outreach event, and the Tennessee Initiative for Middle East Studies. She leads the Department of Religious Studies diversity action committee, coordinates religious diversity professional development opportunities on the UT campus, and is the outgoing chair of the Chancellor’s Council for Diversity and Inclusion. Darby is also the co-director of the ÂÌñÒùÆÞ-affiliated ‘Ayn Gharandal Archaeological Project in southern Jordan, where she is excavating a Nabataean-Islamic period site and leading the UT Dig Jordan study abroad program.

Mission Statement: I have been an active ÂÌñÒùÆÞ member since 2008 and have had the privilege of serving in a variety of ways. I was the co-chair of the Junior Scholars Committee (now ‘Early Career Scholars’) for seven years, overseeing its transition to a standing committee and representing the committee on the Chairs Coordinating Council. In this capacity, I also collaborated with the Ethics Working Group and the Initiative on the Status of Women. I have served as the program chair for the Archaeology of the Near East: Bronze and Iron Ages and as co-chair for a number of member-organized sessions. Most recently, I served on the ÂÌñÒùÆÞ Ad Hoc Committee for the Location of the Annual Meeting and have served as the chair of the ÂÌñÒùÆÞ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Taskforce. I was honored to receive an ÂÌñÒùÆÞ Membership Service Award in 2017. I have been the ÂÌñÒùÆÞ institutional representative for the University of Tennessee since encouraging the university to join ÂÌñÒùÆÞ in 2014.

Serving on the Board of Trustees is a way for me to demonstrate my gratitude for how central ÂÌñÒùÆÞ has been in my professional life and in the lives of my students. My work with ÂÌñÒùÆÞ and with university administration has impressed upon me the importance of supporting ÂÌñÒùÆÞ in this time of transition in higher education. Alongside all of our current initiatives, I am particularly interested in thinking creatively about the value we bring to institutional members, ways we can articulate that value to institutions, and how we can maximize our connection to students in their classrooms and through ÂÌñÒùÆÞ-affiliated field schools. The challenges that are affecting higher education will certainly have an impact on scholarly societies like ÂÌñÒùÆÞ, but I believe that the type of learning encouraged through our programs is unique in the field of higher education and has the potential to yield new development initiatives.

Lynn Swartz Dodd

Lynn Swartz Dodd is Associate Professor of the Practice of Religion at the University of Southern California Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. There, she has served as the Director of the Interdisciplinary Archaeology Undergraduate Major and the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Religion. She was also designated a USC Dornsife Distinguished Faculty Fellow.

Dodd’s research centers on archaeology and politics and ancient innovation and social change, particularly the ways that beliefs about the world figure in social change. As Curator of USC’s Archaeology Research Center, she is also engaged in technical material studies, excavation publication projects, and research involving the use of lasers and new imaging techniques in archaeological research and conservation. She is a staff member of the Amuq Valley Research Project Survey (Turkey), the Kenan Tepe Excavations (Tigris River, Turkey), and the Tell al-Judaidah Publication Project (Turkey), as well as the Native American Sacred Landscapes Project (California). Dodd is in addition the co-organizer of the Israeli Palestinian Archaeology Working Group.

Mission Statement: During my term serving as Secretary of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Ad Hoc Ethics Working Group, I came to understand the critical importance of ÂÌñÒùÆÞ members’ perspectives about professional responsibility in all areas of research, publication, and teaching. I support ÂÌñÒùÆÞ’s on-going efforts to specify best practices that support safety and respect for all participants in every environment.

I applaud ÂÌñÒùÆÞ’s recent decision to open all benefits of membership, including scholarships, to all members regardless of their home location. As an Institutional Representative to the ÂÌñÒùÆÞ Board of Trustees, I will work to increase the visible, reciprocal benefits both for institutional members and for ÂÌñÒùÆÞ. Also, I will contribute to reimagining institutional membership in ways that enable diverse forms of support for ÂÌñÒùÆÞ and its members worldwide. I will encourage ÂÌñÒùÆÞ to pursue initiatives that support relevance, diversity, and expanded professional opportunities for ÂÌñÒùÆÞ members, including new partnerships with non-profits and other organizations. I affirm ÂÌñÒùÆÞ’s tangible efforts to support heritage preservation, documentation and rebuilding in the regions where ÂÌñÒùÆÞ members work as reflections of our broad vision of scholarly responsibility and relevance. I will continue to support ÂÌñÒùÆÞ personally, and as Chair of the Development Committee, am working to identify others who will support ÂÌñÒùÆÞ, both financially and in other ways, so that additional resources can be offered to members who participate in research into, and public understanding of, the history and cultures of the Near East and wider Mediterranean, from the earliest times.