Learn about our members

Professional Associates (PA) is a community of nearly 50 educators, scientists, innovators, business leaders, policymakers, and professionals who bring their real-world experience to support Fort Lewis College. Members share a commitment to strengthening student learning, enriching faculty teaching, and advancing community partnerships across the Four Corners.

Expertise across disciplines

PA members represent seven core areas of expertise:

  • Medicine, public health, and life sciences
  • Engineering, physical sciences, and technology
  • Environmental science and ecology
  • Education, sociology, and community development
  • Arts, communication, and humanities
  • Leadership, strategy, and organizational management
  • Law, policy, and government service

This breadth of knowledge allows PA members to serve as guest lecturers, mentors, advisors, and collaborators—bringing valuable insight to classrooms, academic programs, and community initiatives.

History and purpose

Professional Associates was established in 1999 by President Kendall Blanchard as a strategic advisory group. Since then, its role has expanded to include direct support for students, faculty, and community programming—while maintaining a strong advisory partnership with college leadership.

Meet our members

Each member brings a unique background and perspective to Fort Lewis College. Browse the directory below to explore individual bios, professional experience, and areas of expertise.

Kathleen S. Fine-Dare

ksfinedare@msn.com

Profession: Professor Emeritus of Anthropology & Gender & Women’s Studies | Author | NAGPRA & Indigenous Rights Advocate and Consultant

Education

  • 1974, BA, Anthropology, DePauw University, Greencastle, IN
  • 1980, MA, Anthropology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
  • 1986, PhD, Anthropology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Career Profile

Dr. Kathleen Fine-Dare is a Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and Gender & Women’s Studies (GWS) at Fort Lewis College (FLC). Over her 34-year teaching career, she served as Chair of the Department of Anthropology, Coordinator of GWS, and as an affiliated faculty member in Native American & Indigenous Studies (NAIS). She also contributed significantly to institutional governance as Chair of the Liberal Arts Council, Fulbright FPA, and a member of the Institutional Review Board. Though retired from teaching in 2018, Fine-Dare continued her work at FLC through 2021 as Chair, President’s NAGPRA Committee, and as FLC Tribal Liaison & co PI, National NAGPRA consultation and documentation grant.

Book publications (selected)

  • Dinámicas de la indigeneidad en contextos urbanos: Historia, actuación y educación en Cotocollao, Quito (U San Francisco-Quito and Abya-Yala, 2025)
  • Urban Mountain Beings: Histories of Indigeneity and Geographies of Time in Quito (Lexington, 2020)
  • The Andean World (co-edited with LJ Seligmann, Routledge, 2019)
  • Border Crossings: Transnational Americanist Anthropology (co-edited with SL Rubenstein, U Nebraska, 2009)
  • Grave Injustice: The American Indian Repatriation Movement and NAGPRA (U Nebraska, 2002 -- under revision)

Honors & Awards (selected)

  • Dolores Cacuango Prize for outstanding research article, Latin American Studies Assn (2023) - “The Hummingbird House: Indigenous Pedagogies and Cultural Revitalization in Quito, Ecuador.” Anthropology & Education Quarterly (special issue “Indigenous Pedagogies in a Global World and Sustainable Futures”, 2021) https://doi.org/10.1111/aeq.12391
  • Jemison Visiting Humanities Scholar, University of Alabama-Birmingham (2020)
  • Fulbright Fellowships (1980-81, 2004-2005)
  • FLC Roger Peters Distinguished Professor Award (2009)

Grant Funding Secured for Fort Lewis College

  • 2017-2019 – National Park Service NAGPRA Consultation & Documentation Grant ($89,878, with S. Tisdale)
  • 1998-2003 – Colorado Program of Excellence & Colorado Commission on Higher Education Grant  to the  FLC Dept. of Anthropology ($750,000, with A. Yeager)
  • 1995-1997 – National Park Service Grant for Cultural Property, Cultural Privacy & Repatriation Dialogue ($54,000, with P.G. Duke)

Professional Service & Leadership (selected)

  • President (2025), Board of Directors, Mesa Verde Museum Association (2018- )
  • Secretary, Association of Senior Anthropologists (2025- )
  • Member, Colorado Fulbright Association (2022- )
  • Speaker Committee, NAGPRA Community of Practice (2024- )
  • MA Committee member, FLACSO – Quito (5 students since 2020)

Community Engagement & Volunteer Work (selected)

  • Leadership Team Durango Association of University Women (2018–present)
  • FLC Professional Associates (2018-present)
  • Four Corners Lecture Series member (2016-18)

Invited Speaker Engagements (selected)

  • Keynote speaker, Ecuadorian Anthropology Congress (2024, 2023)
  • Native American Group, The Hartford Insurance Agency (2024)
  • Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe (2024)
  • Crow Canyon Archaeological Center (2023)
  • NAGPRA Community of Practice (2023)
  • School of Advanced Research, Santa Fe (2022)
  • U of Alabama-Birmingham, Programs in Anthropology & Peace Studies (2020)

Professional Affiliations (selected)

  • American Anthropological Association (AAA)
  • Association of Senior Anthropologists (ASA)
  • Society for American Archaeology (SAA)
  • Latin American Studies Association (LASA)
  • Society for Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology (SLACA)
  • American Association of University Women (AAUW)
  • Rocky Mountain Congress of Latin American Studies (RMCLAS)
  • Association on American Indian Affairs (AAIA)