Our Team
Meet AERA’s Board of Directors and team members
AERA Board Members
Dr. Mark Lehner, President
Mark Lehner’s decades of archaeological research in Egypt include mapping the Great Sphinx of Giza and discovering a major part of the Lost City of the Pyramid Builders at Giza. He is a Research Associate at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago and a Senior Fellow at the Capitol Archaeology Institute of George Washington University.
Dr. Richard Redding, Chairman, Secretary
Richard Redding is a Research Scientist at the Kelsey Museum, University of Michigan, as well as a principle investigator on archaeological projects in North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. His investigations, excavations, and surveys have taken him all over the world seeking an understanding of the origin of food production and the evolution of complex societies.
Members of the Board
Dr. James Allen
Kathy DeRue
Megan Flowers, Treasurer
Ed Fries
Janice Jerde
Bruce Ludwig
Ann Lurie
Matthew McCauley, Chairman Emeritus
AERA Staff
Ben Bazely, Archaeologist
Ben is an experienced field archaeologist who started working with AERA in 2021. He has worked extensively in the United Kingdom on commercial and research archaeological projects. He has also worked in Ireland and Sudan.
Frances Dilks, AERA Development Coordinator
After a career in healthcare, Fran began volunteering for AERA in 2010, travelling to Egypt and spending field seasons with the AERA team. In 2011 she took on the job of development coordinator, helping raise funds for our ongoing work by visiting donors, writing letters, managing membership lists and mailing our AERAGAM newsletter. Fran has also donated her time and funds to enhance our villa in Giza.
Stephen Dilks, Archives Assistant
Mohamed Farouk, Senior Accountant
Mohamed joined AERA in 2015 and has worked on all of AERA’s projects as a chief accountant. He has previously worked in banking, securities, and at brokerage companies.
Megan Flowers, Business Manager, Archivist
Sayed Salah Abd el-Hakim, Excavations Foreman
Sayed is a field archaeologist who has been working at the Giza Plateau and Historic Cairo since 1989. He joined AERA in 2008 and has worked with us in Giza, Luxor and Memphis. In 2009 he took on the role of Reis (foreman) of the team of workers with us every season.
Amir Abdel Hamid, Cairo Project Manager
Daniel Jones, Senior Archaeologist, Field School Senior Supervisor
Dan is a field archaeologist who has been working with AERA since 2008. He has also worked in Luxor, Memphis, the Delta, Fayum, Historic Cairo, and the Dakhla Oasis. Outside Egypt he has worked on sites in Italy, Spain, and the UK.
Dr. Mohsen Kamel, Executive Director of AERA-Egypt, Archaeologist
Mohsen has been working with AERA since 1997. He has worked at sites around Egypt, including with UCLA as a field school instructor in the Fayum. In addition to his work with AERA, he is the archaeological director at the New Kingdom Research Foundation in Luxor.
Dr. Mark Lehner, Project Director, Executive Editor of Publications
Mark’s decades of archaeological research in Egypt include mapping the Great Sphinx of Giza and discovering a major part of the Lost City of the Pyramid Builders at Giza. He is a Research Associate at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago and a Senior Fellow at the Capitol Archaeology Institute of George Washington University.
Emmy Malak, Head of Objects Team
Emmy has been working on AERA’s objects since 2005. She has an Egyptology MA and BA degree from the American University in Cairo (AUC).
She is the head of our objects team and the co-author of the AERA Object Typology book.
Dr. Claire Malleson, Director of Archaeological Science, AERA Lab Director, Archaeobotanist
Rebekah Miracle, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Director
Rebekah is a GIS specialist who has been working with AERA’s archeological data since 2005. In addition to her work with AERA at Giza and Memphis, she has worked at other sites around Egypt from Kom el-Fahkry in the north to Kom Ombo in the south, and at Chersonesus on the Black Sea coast.
Dr. Richard Redding, Chief Research Officer, Archaeozoologist
Richard is a Research Scientist at the Kelsey Museum, University of Michigan, as well as a principle investigator on archaeological projects in North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. His investigations, excavations, and surveys have taken him all over the world seeking an understanding of the origin of food production and the evolution of complex societies.
Mohamed (Midou) Said, Giza IT Manager
Midou has 22+ years of experience as an IT professional, with diversified IT/IS leading and management expertise. He has been AERA’s IT manager since 2008. He oversees our Giza Data Center, covering end-to-end IT processes and services to our international team.
Dr. Wilma Wetterstrom, Art & Science Editor of Publications
Wilma received BA, MA, and PhD degrees in Anthropology from the University of Michigan. She has worked as an archaeobotanist on excavations in Egypt, Spain, Madagascar, and Syria, as well as the US. She has been with AERA since our first field season in 1988, first as archaeobotanist and later transitioning to publications with the first issue of AERAGRAM. Wilma is also an associate of the Harvard University Herbaria.
Alexandra Witsell, Head of Clay Sealings Team, Managing Editor of Publications
Ali has worked for AERA since 2004 on clay sealings in the lab and on the publications team since 2008. Her background is in Mesopotamian archaeology, anthropology, and Middle Eastern studies, as well as fine arts clay work. She has completed fieldwork in Jordan, Syria, Turkey, and Egypt.
Manami Yahata, Archivist, Archaeologist
Manami has been working with AERA since 2005 as an archaeologist, with a special interest in the study of ancient roofing and plaster materials. During the field season she also oversees our Giza data archive.