On May 13, 2008, in a brief ceremony at City Hall, Mayor Gerald D. Jennings (above, left) acknowledged Dr. Michael Werner (above, right) for “his hard work and dedication as City Archaeologist for the City of Albany”. In 2000, in response to a growing public concern over the archaeological remains from Albany’s rich history, Mayor Jennings appointed Dr. Werner as the first City Archaeologist. Dr. Werner’s unusual background which combined research archaeology in the Balkans and cultural resource management in the U.S. made him the ideal candidate for ensuring that new construction developments would not negatively impact the buried history in one of North America’s oldest cities. By 2002, Dr. Werner, in collaboration with Atty. Ennio Corsi, had developed a new city code that regulates the incorporation of an archeological review into the permit process for new construction in the City of Albany. This code is one of Werner's lasting legacies.

Dr. Werner, a Roman archaeologist, has over 30 years of experience in the management of archaeological field surveys and excavations on Roman sites in the Balkans and the northeast United States. Dr. Werner chaired the University’s former Classics Department. He is currently a professor in the Department of Art where he has served as Director of the Program in Classics and Mediterranean Archaeology and Director of the University’s Field School at Roman Viminacium on the Danube. His research has been funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, and the Smithsonian Institution.

June 10, 2008