Archaeology Southwest Honors Linda Pierce on the Occasion of Her Retirement

Pierce served the organization for decades, growing it from a team of 3 to an annual budget of $3M

Tucson, Ariz. (August 27, 2024)—Please join Archaeology Southwest’s Board of Directors, staff, and longtime supporters in celebrating Linda Pierce and her innumerable contributions to the heart and soul of the organization over the past 25 years. As the second person founder and retired President & CEO Bill Doelle hired to work for the fledgling nonprofit, Linda was Bill’s right hand and an engine of the organization’s success. Like Bill, Linda is eager to enjoy new pursuits in retirement and continue to share her insights and experience as an advisor and volunteer.

Since joining the organization in the summer of 1999, Linda has been its programs manager, director of development, and deputy director, most recently serving as director of and then Vice President for Finance & Operations. She came to Tucson from Iowa in 1984 as an archaeologist specializing in animal remains (zooarchaeology) to study at the University of Arizona’s then-Department of Anthropology. After receiving her MA in 1986, Linda pivoted to a career in nonprofit fundraising, first at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, followed by a brief stint with the Southern Arizona Women’s Fund. With her retirement, she is returning to her first professional love of theater, taking up the position of Production Stage Manager with Tucson’s Invisible Theatre.

“Linda and I worked together for 25 years. She brought her keen intellect and her practical skills in accounting and fundraising, a mix that both expanded the vision of what Archaeology Southwest could become and provided the concrete steps to get there,” said Doelle. “It’s rare that the work of growing a nonprofit can be so productive and fun, but it really was. Thanks, Linda!”

“On behalf of the entire Archaeology Southwest staff, past and present, I thank Linda for her service to this wonderful organization,” said Steve Nash, current President & CEO. “Archaeology Southwest simply will not be the same without her unparalleled attention to detail and understanding of complex operational systems.”

About Archaeology Southwest

Founded in 1989, Archaeology Southwest is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Tucson, Arizona, on the homelands of the Tohono O’odham Nation and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. We are privileged to work across the US Southwest and into northwestern Mexico on the Lands and Territories of many Indigenous Tribes and descendant communities. 

We practice Preservation Archaeology, a holistic and conservation-based approach to exploring and protecting heritage places while also honoring the diverse values these places hold for people. We gather information, help make it accessible and understandable, share it with the public and decision-makers, advocate for landscape-scale protection, and co-steward heritage preserves with people who share interests in their conservation. We are committed to real and ongoing collaboration with Tribes in all areas of our work. 

Learn more at archaeologysouthwest.org.

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