Deanna Byrd joined the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology in February 2024 as the new Associate NAGPRA director. Deanna is Mississippi Choctaw, and an enrolled citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, and of Italian-Euro descent. She brings with her 10 years of experience working for her Tribe as their NAGPRA coordinator and managing the No Stone Unturned Project. Deanna is passionate about lasting change and has worked with over 2000 institutions to that end.
Moving to the other side of the table, Deanna is currently working with a dedicated, supportive team to implement a revised NAGPRA process at the Peabody Museum under the regulations. She looks forward to working side by side with Native Nations for the return of their ancestors, funerary objects, sacred objects, and items of cultural patrimony.