Annual Meeting: Wednesday June 15th

Wednesday, June 15, 2011 from 4:30 -7:00 pm, the Abbe Museum in downtown Bar Harbor will host its Annual Meeting. Special Guest, Bonnie Newsom, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer of the Penobscot Nation will speak about the Abbe's 10 year anniversary in downtown Bar Harbor and the impact the Abbe Museum has had on American museums, archaeology, and her personal story. Her talk is titled, Braided Visions: A Personal Reflection on the Abbe Museum’s Community Engagement.

Ms. Newsom is a member of the Penobscot Nation and serves as their Tribal Historic Preservation Officer. In this capacity, she ensures tribal compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act, identifies and manages historic properties on tribal lands, consults with Federal and State agencies relative to historic site protection, participates in public education initiatives and serves as the tribal point of contact for all archaeological issues. Her former positions include a research archaeology position with Archaeological Research Consultants, of Ellsworth, Maine and Assistant Director of the Wabanaki Center at the University of Maine.

Ms. Newsom has served on a variety of boards and committees at both the local and national levels. At present, she serves on the United South and Eastern Tribes Culture and Heritage Committee and is a board member of the Forest Society of Maine.

She holds a B.A. in Anthropology and an M.S. in Quaternary Studies from the University of Maine. Currently, she is a Ph.D. candidate in Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Her research interests include the archaeology of the Penobscot River Valley and aboriginal ceramic analysis.

As a military veteran and a former leadership instructor with the Maine Army National Guard, Ms. Newsom taught courses in primary leadership, small and large group instructor training and non-commissioned officer training. Currently, she lives in Eddington with her husband, Les, and
their four children.