Dean Littlepage, Treasurer

Why I’m Involved:

The first time I fully realized how deeply heritage education and interpretation can affect people came during the run of a major Alaska history exhibition I organized for the Anchorage Museum of History and Art in 1997. I loved giving public walkthroughs of the exhibit, and found it really entertaining to just wander through it by myself and watch and listen to visitors’ reactions. The interpretation that most represented the people of a century before as having the same joys and sorrows we do today brought strong and emotional responses from so many. I have always remembered one person’s simple note in the visitor log: “I laughed, I cried.” 

That experience left me with a desire to help bring relatable education and interpretation about our histories to as many people as possible.

Bio: Dean has served on the boards of directors of several education and conservation organizations, accumulating experience in nuts-and-bolts nonprofit activities such as planning, budgeting, policy, and grant writing and other fundraising. He was a founding board member of the Institute for Heritage Education and two other nonprofit organizations. In his work as a writer and interpretive planner, he has covered historical and archaeological topics in books, periodicals, public displays and programs, and museum exhibits. He has also served as an occasional writer-editor of Project Archaeology educational materials.