May2014

79TH ANNUAL MEETINGA resolution of sympathy was proposed to the families andfriends of: Linda Cordell, Christy G. Turner, Claudine Payne,Carol Ambruster, Fred Coy, Peter Harrison, Warren d’Azevedo,Frederick Bove, Richard Daugherty, Beth Walton, Ernest “Skip”Lohse, Robert Hall, Leslie Wildesen, Molly Thompson, PrescillaRenouf, and Charles Benz. The members rose for a moment ofsilence in honor of our departed colleagues.President Altschul thanked the outgoing committee chairs andthe outgoing Board members. The president also thanked theExecutive Director and the SAA staff for their hard work. Heconcluded the meeting by reminding those in attendance thatthe actions and opinions of SAA matter and encouraged themembership to get involved.President Altschul called for a motion to adjourn, which wasmade and seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 6:33 PM.REPORT OF THE PRESIDENTJeffrey AltschulI am very pleased to announce that we have 4,483 attendees atthe annual meeting in Austin, Texas, making it the largest meetingin the history of the Society. The meeting’s success is theresult of many people’s hard work. We need to thank ProgramChair Christopher Rodning and his committee and LocalArrangements Chair Patricia Mercado-Allinger. We alsoacknowledge with gratitude the work of SAA’s executive director,Tobi Brimsek, and the SAA Staff: Shelley Adams, CindyDeLano, David Lindsay, Maureen Malloy, Cheng Zhang, JoshCaro, Jonathon Koudelka, and Elisabeth Herschbach. As evidencedby the smooth running of the meeting, the Society isextremely fortunate to have a truly exceptional professionalstaff. It is a pleasure to see the combination of their professionalexperience and skills and the superb volunteerism and capabilitiesof the membership working together.I want to thank the Nominating Committee, chaired by MegConkey, for an outstanding slate of candidates, and to thank allthe candidates, both those who were elected and those who werenot, for their willingness to serve the Society. Serving on theBoard of Directors is exhilarating and time consuming. I wantto thank all the members of the Board for their hard work, andespecially acknowledge and thank our outgoing officers andBoard members, Treasure Alex Barker, Director Kelley Hays-Gilpin, and Director Eduardo Neves.SAA finances are healthier than at any time in the 80-year historyof the Society. Our reserves currently stand at 103% of ouroperating budget. The Board is committed to keeping thereserves at or near 100%, at the same time funding new initiativessuch as:1. Our new journal Advances in Archaeological Practice2. Additional pages for Latin American Antiquity, increasingissue size to 144 pages beginning in 20153. Archaeological meetings in addition to the annual meeting,including the Conferencia Intercontinental later this year inLima, Peru and a new joint SAA–European Association ofArchaeologists (EAA) thematic meeting entitled, ConnectingContinents: Archaeological Perspectives on Slavery, Trade,and Colonialism, to be held in November 2015 in Curaçao.4. A pilot study to test the methodology for the longer termproject, Discovering the Archaeologists of the Americas5. The Cheryl L Wase Scholarship for undergraduate archaeologystudies for women6. A new staff position, coordinator, Communications7. Online seminars on pressing topics in American archaeology,including free seminars8. Current Research Online, providing SAA members a way torapidly disseminate results to their colleagues and the publicAnd much, much more.SAA remains one of the major forces advancing the cause ofarchaeology and historic preservation throughout the World.Here, in the United States, SAA regularly engages Congressand Federal agencies on issues ranging from academic researchfunding to the legislative framework protecting culturalresources. But it is outside the beltway that SAA may have itsgreatest impact. SAA is the only professional society that sits onthe board of directors of the Gas and Preservation Partnership.We are a consulting party on the Section 106 undertaking atAmity Pueblo in Arizona, joining tribes and state and Federalagencies to rectify damage and to ensure the long-term preservationof the site. SAA has requested consulting party status toassist the Bureau of Land Management in its Resource ManagementPlan Amendment for Mancos Shale/Gallup Formation innorthwestern New Mexico, which impacts, among otherresources, Chaco Canyon and outlying Chacoan sites and features.SAA also has nominated a representative to serve on the NationalAdvisory Committee for Implementation of the National ForestSystem Land Management Planning Rule and has requestedconsulting party status from the Forest Service so that the Societycan be involved in discussions related to the content anddesign of a National Program Alternative. Finally, SAA has48 The SAA Archaeological Record • May 2014