Ron Adams, Ph.D., R.P.A.

Senior Archaeologist

Ph.D., Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, 2007
M.A., Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, 2001
B.A., Anthropology, University of Oregon, 1995

Ron has been involved with archaeological projects throughout the west coast, from southern California to the interior of British Columbia for the past 25 years. Prior to joining WillametteCRA, Ron directed and managed CRM projects throughout the Puget Sound Region and elsewhere in Washington since 2019, while based in Seattle. For more than a decade prior to arriving in Seattle, Ron was based in Portland and directed field projects throughout Oregon and Washington.

Ron’s experience directing field projects has ranged from small city parks improvements to large wind farm and solar farm projects. Ron has experience with all phases of fieldwork from reconnaissance-level to data recovery. Ron has also managed a wide range of projects for federal, state, and municipal agencies, as well as private entities, under section 106, SEPA, and EO 2102 regulatory frameworks. In addition, Ron has conducted ethnographic studies in Washington, Oregon and California and has coordinated with Tribes throughout the Pacific Northwest as part of CRM projects.

Beyond the U.S. west coast, Ron has conducted ethnoarchaeological field studies in Indonesia and has published many book chapters and articles relating to feasting and megalith-building among traditional societies in the Indonesian archipelago. Ron has also presented conference papers and published results deriving from CRM projects he has conducted in Washington and Oregon.

Ron is a member of both the Association of Washington Archaeologists and the Association of Oregon Archaeologists. He is also a member of the Society of American Archaeologists and the American Cultural Resources Association.

Ron’s topical interests in archaeology, include ethnoarchaeology, complex societies, social memory, and public outreach. Having spent most of his life in the Pacific Northwest, residing in various locales from the southern Willamette Valley to the lower mainland of British Columbia, Ron has come to appreciate the diversity of landscapes, traditional cultures, and contemporary urban centers throughout the region and tries to spend as much time as possible outside exploring his local surroundings.