PNNL

Keith Mendez is a Cultural Resources program manager at PNNL. In his role, Keith manages compliance requirements under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA) for PNNL’s research and operations activities. He also oversees the protection of cultural resources at PNNL’s Richland, Wash., and Sequim, Wash. campuses. Cultural resources include archaeological or historic sites, objects, and landscapes, as well as resources important to Native American Tribes, and are protected by various federal and state laws. Keith works with project managers, engineers, and researchers to evaluate how and if any proposed projects might impact cultural resources. He then works with the Department of Energy (DOE), Washington State, and Native American tribes to develop strategies to avoid, minimize or mitigate those impacts.  

Before joining PNNL in 2023, Keith worked in cultural resources management in multiple states since 2005, including 13 years supporting the cultural resources program at DOE’s Hanford Site in Washington State. He earned his MA in Anthropology from the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and his BA in Anthropology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in Stony Brook, New York.

• Master of Arts, Anthropology, University of Tulsa
• Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology, Stony Brook University