Monthly meetings

Ms. Tomka has 30 plus years of professional experience in the field of cultural resource management with experience in the private and public sector. Ms. Tomka has completed material analyses, contributed to archeological reports, participated as the supervisor of archeological lab and field crews, and served as a project manager. Her interests are focused primarily in the management of archeological collections within the context of state and federal laws, and sound archival practice. Ms. Tomka has completed training sessions (one day to six weeks) offered by Northern States Conservation Center, the Southeastern Library Network, and the Society of American Archivists; workshops sponsored by the United States Department of Interior for Non-Federal Repositories and the Partnership Conferences, the Texas Historical Commission: state and federal historic preservation law and process, and the National Register of Historic Places. In June 2012, Ms. Tomka received her Professional Certification in Collections Management from the University of Victoria (UVic). 

Ms. Tomka joined the staff of the Texas Archeological Research Lab (TARL) in July 2014 as the Head of Collections. Her responsibilities include the care and management of collections from State and Federal jurisdiction totaling over 50 million objects. She is currently working on an integrated collections database to include all aspects of the necessary collections management documentation. 

Working at the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) staff from July 2000-July 2014, Ms. Tomka served in two major roles. As the laboratory director for contract projects, she supervised and trained undergraduate and graduate student employees, volunteers, and interns; coordinated artifact processing from the field through analyses to the final curation of the collections; and the maintenance of computerized catalogues and database management. As curator, Ms. Tomka developed the collections management policies and procedures, supervised the development of the Center's repatriation policy, and instituted phased rehabilitation projects to upgrade the care of the collections. As an outgrowth of work with community volunteers, she was the technical lead for public field schools at Rancho de Las Cabras in Wilson County in 2007 and 2009. In 2008 and 2010, she taught the summer five-week UTSA Field School. During the four years the site was open, volunteers were invited to work alongside professional archeologists.

In the private sector, Ms. Tomka's was a member of a national environmental consulting firm with duties including supervision of lab technicians, database management, analysis of materials, technical writing, and curation, as well as advising the senior project managers concerning artifact database design and estimation of curation costs. As the only junior project manager in the Austin office, Ms. Tomka frequently acted as a deputy project manager on large projects and served as project manager on smaller (<$50k) projects. 

Ms. Tomka advanced from a laboratory technician to the Curator of Archaeology at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, responsible for collections management and the supervision of lab technicians. Ms. Tomka worked at TARL during graduate school as the lab supervisor for field projects and as a records technician in the site files and conducting file searches as needed.  Ms. Tomka performed material culture analyses, collections management for the WS Ranch as an undergraduate and graduate student. While conducting Master's thesis research, she served as a teacher's assistant and area supervisor for the UT field school (1984; 1985), providing oversight and instruction in proper archeological field and lab techniques. In 1982, Ms. Tomka was a co-recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities Youthgrant for work on the WS Ranch Site. 

She has a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin, an M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin, a Professional Specialization Certification in Collections Managements from the University of Victoria, and is a Registered Professional Archaeologist.