New Mexico Historic Sites welcomes Historic Preservation and Interpretation Specialist

March 21st, 2023

Santa Fe, NM – New Mexico Historic Sites (NMHS) has brought on Dr. C. L. Kieffer Nail as Historic Preservation and Interpretation Specialist. Her first day was February 6, 2023.  

“The Preservation and Interpretation Specialist role is key to the vision of NMHS for statewide engagement,” said Patrick Moore, executive director of NMHS. “Dr. Nail is in possession of an incredible mix of knowledge and skillsets tied to New Mexico museums, archaeology, culture, and interpretation and we are thrilled to have such an eminently qualified expert join our team.” 

In this expansive role, brand new to the division, Dr. Nail is uniquely positioned to contribute to every layer of the division’s mission: she will develop preservation plans and ensure that work is being conducted in compliance with federal, state, and local guidelines; help shape interpretive plans and exhibitions across the division; support the division’s research and archaeological needs, and develop systems for keeping that data organized and accessible; and connect the division with the public, bringing a focus on accessibility and inclusion to the division’s preservation, research, communication, and internal processes.  

Each of these tasks would be complicated, but Dr. Nail has the necessary tools to tackle all of them. She brings nearly two decades of museum experience in collections and exhibition from her previous roles at Autry National Center, Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, and the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian. She is from Southern California, and while living there, she completed her bachelor’s in anthropology at University of California Riverside and her master’s in anthropology at California State University on the Los Angeles campus. In 2008, she moved to New Mexico, where she later completed her doctorate in anthropology, with a focus on archaeology, and her master’s in museum studies from University of New Mexico.  

“I am excited to be back with the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs in a role that so perfectly matches my academic pursuits of preserving the past and aiding the community in telling the intricate stories of the New Mexico Historic Sites,” Dr. Nail said. “Our state has such a rich and deep history and I look forward to working with our staff and partners to highlight the Historic Sites as the treasures and resources they are and making them accessible to all who visit them.” 

In her free time, Dr. Nail is an active volunteer EMT with a local search and rescue team, and she enjoys spending time outside with her family.  

About New Mexico Historic Sites 

New Mexico Historic Sites is a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, under the leadership of the Board of Regents for the Museum of New Mexico. Programs and exhibits are generously supported by the Museum of New Mexico Foundation and its donors. The New Mexico Historic Sites system was established in 1931 by an Act for the Preservation of the Scientific Resources of New Mexico. The eight Historic Sites include Coronado, Fort Selden, Fort Stanton, Bosque Redondo Memorial at Fort Sumner Historic Site, Jemez, Lincoln, and Los Luceros.