World Heritage USA Conference and Symposium 2024
21-22 November 2024 in Washington, DC
Climate Change Impacts and Mitigation at U.S. World Heritage Sites
Day Two Speaker Biographies
Friday, 22 November: Social Justice and Sustainability in the Face of Climate Change (9am-12 noon)
Welcome by ICOMOS-USA President Douglas C. Comer, Ph.D.
Keynote – Dr. Gary Machlis: “Maria’s Dilemma and the Challenge of Climate Justice”
Dr. Gary E. Machlis is University Professor of Environmental Sustainability at Clemson University. Prior to joining the faculty at Clemson, he served as Science Advisor to the Director, U.S. National Park Service (NPS) during both terms of the Obama administration.
Dr. Machlis received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Washington, and his Ph.D. in human ecology from Yale University. He has written numerous books and scientific papers on issues of conservation, sustainability, disaster response, and the politics of science, including The Future of Conservation
in America: A Chart for Rough Water published by the University of Chicago Press. His newest book is Sustainability for the Forgotten, published in 2024. At Clemson, he teaches courses on social ecology, scientific integrity, and the politics of science.
Dr. Machlis has been active in international conservation and has worked in China on the giant panda, in the Galápagos Islands, and in Kenya, Cuba, and Eastern Europe. He serves on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Board on Environmental Change and Society, its Sustainability Science and Technology Roundtable, and is an Advisor to the Academies’ Scientists and Engineers in Exile or Displaced Program. In 2010, Dr. Machlis was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Panel 6: Assuring that Indigenous Knowledge fits into the United Nations’ Strategic Development Goals (UN SDGs)
Panel 6 will comprise 3 nationally prominent representatives of Native organizations or tribes, in order to describe and better understand both the particular impacts of climate change in Indian Country, and how land managers on and off reservations can make best use of indigenous ecological knowledge in managing natural and cultural features to minimize or mitigate climate impacts.
Moderator: Destry Jarvis
Panelists: Amelia Marchand, Dr. Valerie Grussing, Theresa Pasqual
Amelia Marchand is a researcher, writer, and strategist with over 27 years of experience in cultural and natural resource management, climate action, and food and water security policy, working alongside Indigenous Peoples in the U.S. and First Nations in Canada. Amelia’s rich heritage includes Okanogan, Lakes, Moses-Columbia, Palus, Chief Joseph Band of Wal’wama Nimiipuu, Scottish, French, Irish, German, and Dutch ancestry. In 2024, she made history as the first woman Presidentially appointed to the Indian Tribe Member Seat on the Advisory Council of Historic Preservation, a 4-year commission. She holds a BA in anthropology from Eastern Washington University and an MA in environmental law and policy from Vermont Law School. Now serving as the Executive Director of the Indigenous-led native plant and pollinator conservation nonprofit, the L.I.G.H.T. Foundation, Amelia is leading with vision and determination, spearheading new initiatives that honor the land and culture while inspiring hope for a future rooted in conservation and community. Amelia is a proud citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, located in north central Washington State.
As Executive Director of NATHPO, Valerie Grussing is committed to protecting Native places through support, guidance, advocacy, and strengthening partnerships among Tribal Historic Preservation Officers. She enjoys group projects and creating collaborative solutions-focused programming. She is passionate about advocating for and elevating Native interests and voices in revitalizing Native cultures and reclaiming places. Valerie is honored to be part of an ongoing paradigm shift of decolonization grounded in sovereignty, self-determination, reconciliation, and healing. Valerie holds a BA in History from North Carolina State University, an MA in Anthropology from the University of Iowa, and a PhD in Coastal Resources Management from East Carolina University.
Theresa Pasqual, a member of the Pueblo of Acoma, is the Executive Vice President of Indigenous Affairs for Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Cortez, CO. She served as Director of Acoma’s Tribal Historic Preservation Office, a post she held for 11 years. Theresa draws from her own cultural experience and background in southwestern archaeology to guide current projects focused on the preservation and protection of cultural resources both on and off tribal lands, policy development at the state and federal level, and deeper work in shifting the narrative towards stewardship within agencies to allow for capacity building, collaborative partnerships, and cultural sustainability. Ms. Pasqual serves as board member to Outdoor New Mexico and was appointed as Regent to the New Mexico Museums Board of Regents. Theresa received a W.K. Kellogg Leadership Fellowship in 2014. Ms. Pasqual resides in the Pueblo with her partner Joseph tending fields of corn, an orchard, always looking for the return of summer rains.
Panel 7: How Climate Change Response Should Treat All Fairly
This panel will focus on the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) aspects of climate change impacts in minority communities, among immigrant populations and the poor, many aspects of which are often left out of mitigation plans by governments, institutions and corporations.
Moderator: Courtney Lyons-Garcia
Panelists: Sylvia Cyrus, Omar Eaton-Martinez, Marie Walker
Sylvia Cyrus is an ICOMOS-USA trustee and the Executive Director of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). Founded in 1915, ASALH is an organization that leads the vital discussion, dissemination and preservation of Black history and culture. The recipient of numerous awards, Sylvia has formed lasting strategic partnerships with corporate and community leaders who share her vision and dream to preserve black history.
Omar Eaton-Martínez is the Senior Vice President for Historic Sites at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, where he leads the preservation, interpretation, and overall stewardship of 28 National Trust Historic Sites across the country to tell the full American story. He has had leading roles in racial equity organizations like Museums and Race: Transformation and Justice and Museum Hue as well as a part of the Museum as Site for Social Action project. Omar participated as an American Alliance of Museums Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) Senior Fellow, which is dedicated to diversifying museum boards. He also serves on multiple boards including being the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Association of African American Museums, the Co-Chair for the Latino Advisory Board supporting Prince George’s County Executive Alsobrooks and a Trustee for the International National Trust Organisation.
As Chief Operating Officer, Marie Walker manages the day-to-day operations of The Corps Network including the Gulf Coast Restoration Initiative. Marie supervises The Corps Network’s contracts as well as the organization’s private and federal partnerships with AmeriCorps, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Forest Service. Marie also helped develop GulfCorps, a conservation and workforce development initiative focused on training local young adults for careers in the growing restoration economy along the Gulf of Mexico. Marie holds bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Sociology, as well as a MPA in Public Administration. She studied at Concord University, Old Dominion University, and West Virginia University. Go Mountain Lions, Monarchs, and Mountaineers!
Optional Workshop for Emerging Professionals and interested Symposium attendees – Roadmap to Resilience: Disaster-Proofing Heritage 1-4pm
Resilience has become essential to building performance, particularly to historic structures and sites, as they relate to heritage and cultural identity. This workshop addresses: 1) Heritage resilience and its importance; 2) How historically significant buildings and sites can become resilient; 3) Generating community resilience through historic buildings and sites; and 4) Preserving buildings to ensure the continuity of associated traditions.
Workshop Leaders: Angela Lombardi, Sandeep Langar, and Saadet Toker Beeson of the University of Texas at San Antonio