About Us
InContext
Has successfully completed work throughout the western United States for a variety of public agencies and private environmental, engineering, energy, and development firms. In business since 2014*, we have prepared numerous documents in compliance with CEQA, NEPA, SEPA, and Section 106 of the NHPA. We are also permitted to conduct archaeological studies in the State of Oregon and will soon be permitted in other states.
We are qualified to conduct work in the fields of prehistoric archaeology, historical archaeology, history, architectural history, and ethnography.
* InContext incorporated in 2014 and was previously dba as Trish Fernandez and Western Properties.
Certifications
- SBA Woman-Owned Small Business (No. 171606176)
- USDOT Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (No.42001)
- Utility Supplier Diversity Program (CPUC) Woman Minority Owned Business (No. 15010079)
- CA Department of General Services Small Business (No. 1795268)
- ISN Networld Grade A (400-240604)
- Gold Shovel Certified
Staff
Trish Fernandez
Principal
M.A., Anthropology
CSU, Sacramento
26 years’ experience
InContext is managed by Trish Fernandez, who has over 26 years' experience conducting cultural resources studies in the western United States. Ms. Fernandez has successfully completed all phases of work and prepared numerous documents covering a wide breadth of resource types in compliance with CEQA, NEPA, Section 106 of the NHPA, and the Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA).
Although experienced in Prehistoric Archaeology, her areas of expertise are the history of the western United States, Historical Archaeology, and Architectural History. She meets the Secretary of Interior's Professional Qualification Standards for Archaeologist, Historian, and Architectural Historian; she is a California Registered Historian (No. 583) and a Registered Professional Archaeologist (No. 12198).
Trish has volunteered her expertise by teaching classes and serving on a number of professional and preservation review boards. She currently serves as President-Elect of the Register of Professional Archaeologists.
C. Jesse Phillips
Principal
M.A. Candidate, Micronesian Studies
B.A., Anthropology
University of Guam
22 years' experience
Mr. Phillips serves as Crew Chief and Project Coordinator on large survey and excavation projects. He is also InContext’s prehistoric laboratory supervisor. Jesse is an archaeologist with over 20 years’ experience conducting archaeological studies (historic and prehistoric) throughout the United States.
He is qualified as Field Director for the BLM in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota and has also been permitted for work in the Great Basin and Anasazi (Ancestral Puebloan) regions in Utah. Jesse is also First Aid, CPR, and HAZWOPER certified and has met the certifications for a PADI diver.
His experience includes coastal megalithic and World War II sites in the Mariana Islands, prominent California Bay Area midden burial mounds, Anasazi (Ancestral Puebloan) cliff dwellings in the American Southwest Desert, and riverside terrace teepee villages in the Montana wilderness. He has successfully completed projects (fieldwork to final reporting) for the BLM, USFS, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, Natural Resources and Conservation Service (NRCS), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the U.S. ACOE in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Nebraska, Missouri, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana.
Tina Lester
CFO / Business Manager
30 years' experience
Ms. Lester serves as CFO and Business Manager for InContext. She brings over 30 years of experience in Financial Management, Business Administration, Business and Client Analytics, and Contract Management.
Her previous work includes financial and business administration for both private industry and county government entities (i.e. building, planning, transportation, GIS, and environmental management), all of which gives her a broad scope of understanding and experience in both private and governmental rules, regulations, and processes. Ms. Lester also served as an Executive Director and Treasurer for El Dorado County Local 1 for 6 years.
She brings with her an ability to streamline internal processes as well as implementing new software and techniques where beneficial.
Bruno Texier, M.A.
Archaeologist
B.A., Anthropology
40 years' experience
Mr. Texier has a formidable career that encompasses both Old World and the New World archaeology. Beginning in his native France, he specialized in European prehistory, Iron Age, Gallo-Roman, and Medieval Archaeology.
He was part of the team that excavated the ceremonial Agris Helmet, a 350 BCE masterpiece of Celtic art, which is now displayed in the Musée d'Angoulême in Angoulême, France. During his time in the United States, Mr. Texier has focused on Western U.S. Prehistoric, Protohistoric and Historic Archaeology, Spanish Colonial Architecture and Material Culture, California Gold Rush Era, and Great Basin Archaeology.
He has conducted fieldwork in California, Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho. Mr. Texier has surveyed numerous mines in the California Mother Lode region of the Sierra Nevada and has had special training from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). He is InContext’s groundstone specialist providing in-depth groundstone analysis on all InContext projects. His book Numismatique de Guerre: L'histoire des Jeton-Monnaie, Billets et Bons Nécessité d’Aunis et Saintonge (Charente-Maritime), a study of emergency coinage in times of war in the department of Charente-Maritime, France was recently published in his native France.
Richard Terk
Cultural Resources
B.A., Anthropology
University of California, Berkeley
6 years' experience
Mr. Terk is a cultural resources specialist with expertise in archaeology, lithics, faunal analysis, and osteology. He is Field Crew Chief, supervises on-call staff, and serves as InContext's Safety Officer and Board Secretary.
He is also InContext's drone pilot, photographer, carpenter, and field engineer. Richard has experience conducting historic and prehistoric archaeological studies in California, Oregon, and Texas. His previous work as a butcher and professional chef gives him a unique perspective concerning lithic and faunal analysis.
His experience includes late 19th-century military archaeology in Western Texas; California and Oregon Native American house floor excavation; prehistoric human osteology, and large feature block lifting.
Roberto Mora, M.A.
Cultural Resources
M.A., Cultural Resources Management
Sonoma State University
6 years' experience
Mr. Mora has conducted most of his professional archaeological work of 6 years in California. Roberto is the lead surveyor and monitor. He conducts pre-field research and is lead author of our CEQA/Section 106 technical reports.
He is an experienced and competent field and research archaeologist specializing in the material culture of Northern California’s prehistory. He possesses a variety of skills, including culturally modified and unmodified bone analysis, proficiency in faunal remain, and human osteology.
Maira Ramirez, B.A.
Administrative Assistant
B.A., Anthropology
San Jose State University
5 years' experience
Ms. Ramirez graduated in 2017 from San Jose State University with a B.A. in Anthropology with an emphasis in Cultural Studies. She recently completed the catalog of a private collection of over 300 pieces, derived from the African continent for the purpose of ultimate curation.
She has participated in an applied anthropology internship focused on training community members to be leaders and liaisons for a variety of socioeconomic programs. Maira has also assisted in the development of ethnography in manufacturing laborers.