Name
Mark L Howe
Which degrees did you earn from CAS?
Undergraduate
Major(s) or area(s) of study
Anthropology
Graduation year
1991
Who is your employer, and where are they located?
I work for the International Boundary and Water Commission in El Paso, Texas.
What is your job title and what kind of work does it involve?
I am the Cultural Resources Specialist for the agency and Historian. I am involved in history of the agency, Section 106 and 110 and environmental aspects along the U.S. - Mexico borderlands.
What sparked your interest in your major(s) or area(s) of study?
I decided I wanted to do something interesting instead of Finance. At the time I was in the USMCR and always doing things. Exploring outside and finding out about the past that I could uncover was more interesting than being in an office all day.
What do you see as the value of your major(s) or CAS degree?
This brought me to where I am today due to being an Archeologist.
Were there any other people, activities, or events from your time at UNL that helped you get to where you are now?
Dr. James Gunnerson was a big help as I was able to work on areas he had worked on in the past later in my career with the Forest Service. Using Geology in the field also gave an understanding of the archeology I dug up and working in History as a minor helped.
Tell us about the path you took to get to where you are today in your career and how you applied your education in your major(s) or area(s) of study to get here.
Long story short, but Anthropology brought me into history and geology. With all of this and the basics of my classes did they help me to understand the work I do today. Spanish Explorers on the Plains from Dr. Gunnerson's class helped me to land the job I have today and I continue to publish in on the borderlands.
What are your future professional goals?
From my Bio:
Mark Howe is the Cultural Resources Specialist / Historian for the United States Section, International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC) in El Paso, Texas. His area of coverage spans the U.S. – Mexico border from San Diego, CA to El Paso, TX and south along the Rio Grande to the Gulf of America. He has undergraduate and graduate degrees in Anthropology, Archeology and History and is currently working on a PhD in Geography at New Mexico State University. He writes on history of the USIBWC during the New Deal of the 1930s, the Boundary Commission of the 1890s and the history of the US – Mexico borderlands in general. He serves as a Commissioner on the El Paso County Historical Commission (EPCHC) and serves as President for the Southern Trails Chapter (STC) of the Oregon-California Trails Association (OCTA) and on the Board of Directors for El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (CARTA) and OCTA. In 2023 Utah Press published a co-edited book on New Deal Archaeology in the ! West. He has written many articles, monographs and given numerous speeches about the USIBWC and the work they do on the history of the Borderlands and the agencies importance as a Binational Commission with Mexico.
August 25, 2026
