I have worked in industrial heritage for almost 30 years. I grew up near Detroit at a time of shrinking regional auto and steel industries and witnessed the stark decline in population and the sharp increase in derelict landscapes. I have a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering, a masters degree in industrial archaeology, and a PhD in industrial heritage.  While the majority of my work has been focused on heritage in museums and large conservation sites, I have also researched and published on the US auto landscape, copper heritage, industrial heritage, iron and steel, and anthracite coal landscapes and company towns, and am currently the director of the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum and Eckley Miners' Village for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.  I have served on the board of the US Society for Industrial Archaeology where I organized several fall tours and conferences and served as the US rep to TICCIH until 2021.  I am currently a board member of TICCIH.  Further, I have reviewed several industrial world heritage nominations and sat on the 2017 US World Heritage Tentative List Committee.