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Full-time Staff
Mary De La Garza
Research Technology Director
319-384-0731
E-mail
Mary C. De La Garza is a Program Director at the University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist. She works to develop applications that assist in archaeological research and manages all research data. Previously she was the Systems Administrator at Mercy Housing in Denver Colorado. Mary served in the United States Navy as a Public Affairs Officer in the 80s and 90s. She travelled the world, landed in Iowa, and is now its happy captive. She has a passion for archaeology and geology and wishes every little girl had a back yard full of dirt to dig in.
Colleen Eck
Site Records Manager
319-384-0735
E-mail
Colleen Eck is a University of Iowa graduate in Anthropology. She has been working at the Office of the State Archaeologist since 1998, and has been Site Records Manager since 2000. She lives in Iowa City with her partner Mark and son Ambrose.
Some of her favorite research topics include historical and ancient textiles, Roman hinterland archaeology, and Neanderthal morphology. A native Kansan, she has lived on the Great Plains her entire life and greatly enjoys both the people and the archaeology found here.
Nicholas Alhambra
Archaeology Technician
319-384-0785
E-mail
Nick has been with the office since October 2012. Nick grew up in South Elgin, Illinois. He then moved to Urbana-Champaign where he graduated in 2011 with a BA in Geography from The University of Illinois. When he is not at work he enjoys riding his bike, internet shopping, and listening to music.
Former Part-time Staff
Meagan E. Thies
Archaeology Technician
319-384-0785
E-mail
Meagan has been an Archaeology Technician with the University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist for almost a year. She has worked in archaeology since the summer of 2009 and graduated from the University of Iowa in 2011 with a BA in Anthropology w/honors, a Museum Studies Certificate, and an emphasis in Cultural Resource and Heritage Management. Her studies and professional experiences have taken her to Belize, The Netherlands, Ohio, Illinois, Texas and Iowa. Following her ride across Iowa with Team Archaeology this summer, she will return to her homestate of Illinois to pursue her MA in Prehistoric Archaeology at Illinois State University. She is interested in the use-wear patterns on prehistoric Midwestern ceramics and what we can learn from them. When she is not at work she enjoys road tripping to new places, hiking, and listening to music on her blue headphones.
