In March, Professor of Anthropology Susan Andreatta will receive an award from one of the most prominent anthropological societies in the nation, the Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA). She will receive the Sol Tax Distinguished Service Award at the annual conference, this year in Albuquerque. She is honored for her more than 20 years of service to SfAA, her dedication to teaching, and for innovative projects, such as Project Greenleaf, a successful program she directs that supports sustainable local agriculture.
The Society draws participants from a variety of fields – including archaeology, nursing, law, public health, environmental studies, government, and the arts, in addition to anthropology – with the common goal of investigating contemporary issues that impact the quality of life in the world.
Andreatta joined the organization when she was a graduate student and, since 1999, has served in leadership positions, including serving as president 2007-2009. She has also been secretary and has been a member of numerous committees. Among her accomplishments with the Society is helping start a legacy group called The Founders, which has been a productive fundraising effort by past members of the Society.
Andreatta calls the society “a very welcoming group,” and says of her conference peers, “Everybody is out there helping communities to make a difference in the world through healthier lives – mental health, environmental health, and education, for example.”
She enjoys bringing UNCG students to the yearly conference so they become acquainted with practicing anthropologists and “new ways of thinking about what they can do.”
About receiving the Sol Tax award she says, “It’s an honor to be recognized by your peers. This organization has been my home for 20 years, and I’ve really grown up in it as a scholar. It changes your career when you get a leadership position – you find colleagues, experience, and you go all over the world.”
Story by Susan Kirby-Smith, University Communications
Photography by Jiyoung Park, University Communications
