CIfA team

Alex Llewellyn
Director of Membership
Alex Llewellyn BSc MCIfA, assists the Chief Executive in implementing the strategic plan through the development and oversight of the annual business plan and the effective management of CIfA resources. She advises on and manages the effective governance of CIfA in order to meet legal, constitutional and organisational requirements. Alex is also responsible for the internal communications including publication of The Archaeologist magazine. She took a degree in heritage conservation and archaeological conservation and began work with CIfA in 1998, moving to her present job in October 2001. Alex can be contacted at alex.llewellyn@archaeologists.net.
Amanda Wood
Assessment Centre Manager
Amanda joined CIfA in a new role as assessment centre manager in 2021. With a background in vocational education and training (and a bit of English teaching thrown in!) her remit is to manage all aspects of the CIfA assessment centre. The centre focuses on delivering government-regulated qualifications, specifically end-point assessment for heritage apprenticeships and NVQs. Amanda graduated in 1995 with a BA in English and Drama and has acquired various teaching and assessment qualifications along the way. With experience of working for government and of running assessments for a variety organisations, this role is a great match with her background and skills - and she is thrilled to be working in such a fascinating industry. She also really enjoys setting up systems and designing and writing support materials, which is proving very handy in running a customer-focused assessment centre! Amanda can be contacted at assessment@archaeologists.net.
Anna Pardoe
Programme and Governance Officer
Anna started working for CIfA in 2016 and until recently was the executive assistant to the chief executive. She is now working as programme and governance officer. She ensures the smooth coordination of board meetings and board activities, looking after the governance alongside the chief executive. This ensures that the Board is appropriately engaged in issues and opportunities to ensure they are making informed decisions and providing strategic direction. She also coordinates the rhythm of the organisation to ensure that CIfA runs its internal business smoothly alongside looking at internal systems and ways of working to improve efficiencies. She works with the chief executive to manage the fit for the future and other continuous improvement projects, such as the overall governance review which was started in November 2024. Anna can be contacted at anna.pardoe@archaeologists.net
Anna Welch
Professional Development & Practice Coordinator
Anna Welch BA MA ACIfA joined the CIfA team in October 2015 and heads CIfA's approved training and CPD, and accredited degree programme schemes. In addition she supports cross-sector industry and training groups, promotes training opportunities and and develops career resources. Anna graduated from the University of Southampton with a BA in Archaeology and MA in Museums Studies. She has worked in development archaeology and local government heritage and volunteers with local societies and the Young Archaeologists’ Club. Contact at anna.welch@archaeologists.net and approvedcpd@archaeologists.net
Cara Burton
Member Engagement Coordinator
Cara joined CIfA in May 2024 to support the annual cycle of administration and communications for CIfA’s network of Area and Special Interest Groups. She has worked for many years in the charity sector with a focus on volunteer support, engagement, and learning. Please contact Cara at groups@archaeologists.net
Cara Jones
Sector Skills Manager
Cara joined CIfA in June 2017 to lead a review on skill gaps and losses in Scottish Archaeology, an outcome from Aim 5 of Scotland’s Archaeology Strategy. Graduating from Cardiff University, Cara has been working in Scotland since 2005 as a field archaeologist, heritage consultant, local authority archaeologist and project manager in community archaeology. Her current role with CIfA includes supporting the development of initiatives which will help increase the diversity of our profession and upskill our workforce. Cara is passionate about increasing the diversity of our profession and ensuring that it is fit for the future. If you want to find out more about CIfA’s strategic skills workstreams, contact Cara on cara.jones@archaeologists.net
Carl Smith
Marketing and Communications Manager
Carl joined CIfA in September 2022 after spending many years in communications and marketing manager roles in the heritage, higher education and charity sectors. He has worked for organisations as diverse as the Science Museum, University College London, the Royal Society (the UK’s academy of science), and a Member of Parliament, often specialising in science communication. With a degree in Medieval Archaeology from UCL, CIfA seemed like a natural next step for Carl, who tries to maintain a sense of humour, which is useful when interacting with archaeologists. You can email Carl at: carl.smith@archaeologists.net
Elizabeth Durst
Events Manager
Elizabeth Durst BFA MSc is responsible for the development, organisation, and marketing of the Chartered Institute’s programme of internal and external events; she also works with senior staff to develop and improve procedures. Elizabeth has a varied events background and received her MSc in International Event & Festival Management from Edinburgh Napier University. Contact elizabeth.durst@archaeologists.net for any events-related queries.
Ellen McNamara
Membership Services Coordinator
Ellen McNamara PCIfA joined as CIfA’s Membership Services Coordinator in May 2022 and supports both the Validation process for accredited applications and the CIfA Registered Organisations scheme. Ellen graduated in Archaeology from the University of York in 2021 and has a background in youth engagement, volunteer committees and museum outreach. You can contact Ellen at ellen.mcnamara@archaeologists.net
Jane Tucker
Finance Officer
Jane is our Finance and Administrative Assistant, working with the Head of Governance and Finance. Jane is responsible for processing income and expenditure, raising invoices and dealing with other general financial matters. Contact Jane at finance@archaeologists.net for invoice queries on the sales and purchase ledger and any expenses claims.
Jen Parker Wooding
Senior Professional Standards & Practice Coordinator
Jen's BSc MSc PhD MCIfA role as Senior Professional Standards & Practice Coordinator focuses on the management, review and implementation of the Institute’s professional practice initiatives and standards, supporting Kate Geary, Head of Professional Development & Practice. She manages projects and CPD events and collaborates with CIfA and sector colleagues to help support the development and delivery of good practice guidance for practitioners across the historic environment sector. Jen has undergraduate and post graduate degrees in Archaeological Science and a PhD specialising in Zooarchaeology. She previously worked as a field archaeologist across the UK and overseas. You can email Jen at jen.parkerwooding@archaeologists.net
Kate Geary
Head of Professional Development and Practice
Kate Geary BA MCIfA is responsible for strategic matters relating to professional development and the historic environment, including training, CPD, qualifications and for professional practice issues and policy. She started working for CIfA in January 2005, moving to her current role in 2017. Her background is in curatorial archaeology in north Wales and at Devon County Council. She has been involved with the Young Archaeologists Club, Prospect and development of a research agenda for Welsh archaeology. Her main interests are the archaeology of upland landscapes, especially north-west Wales, and making archaeology accessible to a wide audience. Kate can be contacted at kate.geary@archaeologists.net.
Katharina Moeller
CIfA Deutschland Coordinator
Katharina Möller M.A. ACIfA took on the role of CIfA Deutschland Coordinator in 2021. She supports the CIfA Deutschland committee by taking over various administrative tasks and monitors CIfA Deutschland’s official email address, which makes her the first point of contact for German members. Due to the role being part-time, she mostly works Mondays and Fridays. Katharina graduated with a Magister degree from the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen in 2013 and has worked in academia ever since. Her research focusses on the Iron Age and public participation in archaeology. The latter is the topic of her PhD which she is currently working towards at Bangor University. You can contact her at cifa.deutschland@archaeologists.net (for official CIfA Deutschland business) or at katharina.moeller@archaeologists.net.
Kerry Wiggins
Senior Membership Services Coordinator
Kerry Wiggins BA MA MCIfA joined CIfA in January 2017 as Senior Membership Services Coordinator and is involved in the support, development and maintenance of the CIfA Registered Organisations scheme. Kerry is responsible for advising new applicants and coordinating the ongoing process of inspection in order to review compliance and support the continuous quality improvement of existing organisations. Kerry has a degree in Archaeology from Leicester University and worked as a field archaeologist for local councils and the Department of the Environment (DoE) before later moving into the careers service where she gained an MA in Guidance. As a careers adviser she worked as a researcher and on commercial contracts providing guidance to unemployed adults and career changers. She has been an active member of other professional membership organisations and is also a trained trade union workplace representative. Contact kerry.wiggins@archaeologists.net if you have a query about joining the Registered Organisations scheme, to check progress on your organisational application or to contribute to our regular eBulletin.
Laura Beasley
Subscriptions and Business Support Manager
Laura joined CIfA on 1 May 2012 and throughout various roles, including those before CIfA, has over 20 years of experience in administration. As our Subscriptions and Business Support Manager, Laura is responsible for ensuring effective delivery of general administration tasks to support the day-to-day running of the Institute. This also involves organising and monitoring business procedures including Health and Safety, IT, and business contracts. She also manages subscription payments, renewals and enquires. If you have a subscription query, please email subscriptions@archaeologists.net
Lianne Birney
Membership Manager
Lianne Birney BA MCIfA joined CIfA in August 2012 and was promoted in December 2020. She has a degree in Archaeology from Winchester and maintained her interest over the years whilst working in various companies in Insurance and at Colleges, giving her a wide range of skills and knowledge. Lianne’s main responsibilities are managing the Validation process and strategic planning for accredited applications and working with our Special Interest and Area Groups. She also supports the senior management team. If you are interested in applying to be an accredited professional of CIfA please contact lianne.birney@archaeologists.net.
Michael Sharp
Senior Administrative Assistant
Michael joined CIfA in February 2022 and provides support through carrying out various administrative duties to ensure the smooth running of the Chartered Institute. You can contact Michael at michael.sharp@archaeologists.net.
Nathan Baker
Chief Executive
Following an early career in insurance, Nathan commissioned into the British Army. After exploring the world in service of Queen and Country he moved into industry, initially with a learning and development focus. Having re-designed the learning programmes for the UK arm of a €1Bn European construction product manufacturer, he drove the transformation of training on a £3.2 Bn Public Private Partnership with the Ministry of Defence. Taking his commercial and technical experience he became the Strategy and Development Director for the Sector Skills Council for the energy and utilities sectors, before moving to the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) as Director of Engineering Knowledge. As Chief Executive of IOM – Institute of Occupational Medicine – an occupational health protection research charity, he delivered its value realisation programme. His understanding of public, private and not-for-profit sectors come together in his role at CIfA. Nathan was made an Honorary Professor in Computing, Engineering and Media by DeMontfort University in 2019. He is a Co-opted member of IOSH Council and has been in various advisory roles to professional bodies, charities and industry groups. Nathan can be contacted at nathan.baker@archaeologists.net
Rob Lennox
Policy and Advocacy Manager
Rob Lennox BSc (Econ) MA PhD ACIfA MCIPR, assists in advising on the development and communication of CIfA policy and in carrying out the Institute's advocacy function, within and beyond the historic environment sector. He holds a PhD entitled 'Heritage and politics in the public value era: An analysis of the historic environment sector, public, and state in England since 1997' and is now a research associate at the University of York. Rob has particular interests in place-making, landscape, and in values shared between cultural and natural heritages. You can contact Rob at rob.lennox@archaeologists.net.