Personnel Bios
Phil Notarianni (director) was born to parents who emigrated from southern Italy in the early 1900s. His father set up a shoe repair shop in the mining town of Magna, Utah, but he wouldn’t let Phil work in the shop. He wanted his son to go to college.
The high school counselor urged Notarianni to skip college and get a good job working at the Kennecott copper mine. But instead he went on to receive a PhD in history from the University of Utah. Years later, he received a Fullbright scholarship to a university near his parents’ hometown; as a professor, he had returned to a university he never could have attended if his parents had stayed in Italy.
Notarianni has a wide background in history-related subjects, including work in museums, archives, oral history, folklore, education, public programs, and preservation. He has written numerous books and articles on ethnic groups and mining, and he teaches in the Ethnic Studies department at the University of Utah.
Wilson Martin (associate director and State Historic Preservation Officer) received a graduate diploma in urban planning and historic districts from Oxford Brooks University and a Masters of Philosophy degree in architecture from the University of York, both in England.
He has been a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute, owner of a vacation heritage property business in England, captain in the United States Army, and author of numerous articles on preservation technology and preservation strategy. In his 21 years at State History, he has helped develop several partnerships in heritage education and historic preservation and has consulted on restoration and stabilization projects, and helped develop heritage tourism programs.
Kevin Jones (state archaeologist) received a bachelor's degree in anthropology from Colorado State University, and master's and Ph.D. degrees in anthropology for the University of Utah. He has been with the Utah Antiquities Section for twenty years, and state archaeologist since 1994. His research interests are human evolutionary ecology, hunter-gatherers, and the Fremont culture. He plays mandolin and sings in the bluegrass band "The Lab Dogs."
Allan Kent Powell (public history coordinator and managing editor of the Utah Historical Quarterly) earned a Ph.D. in history at the University of Utah. He has worked for State History since 1969, and he also teaches at Westminster College.
Powell has written books on the unionization efforts of Utah’s coal miners, German prisoners of war in Utah, Utahns’ World War II experiences, and travel in Utah. His editing projects, The Utah History Encyclopedia and the Utah Centennial County History Series, won awards from both the Mormon History Association and the American Association for State and Local History.
Doug Misner (Library and Collections Program Coordinator) served in the U.S. Navy 1987-1991, graduated from Idaho State University 1999. 10 years at State History. Interested in the history of the Intermountain West and 18th-century American history. Key projects: Burials Database, Artifacts collection and Digitization.
Lori Hunsaker (Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer for archaeology) has more than 19 years experience in archaeology and heritage resource management, working as a consultant, agency specialist, and instructor. Hunsaker completed a Masters of Arts in anthropology at the University of California, Davis in 1999 and is currently a Ph.C. at the University of Utah, working on a dissertation that models prehistoric use of root resources. Other research interests include the application of behavioral ecology models to better understand prehistoric use of plant resources and ground stone variability. Ms. Hunsaker teaches anthropology courses at the University of Utah was elected President of the Utah Professional Archaeological Council from 2005 through 2008.