Tony Overly, MA, RPA

As leader of the Cultural Resources practice for ESA, Tony works for clients and agencies to ensure that planning and project requirements for cultural resources are addressed efficiently and legally. He leads a team of distinguished precolonial and historical archaeologists, geoarchaeologists, maritime archaeologists, architectural historians, preservation planners, and curation specialists.

Tony has worked nearly 30 years in heritage preservation in the private sector, government, and academic setting. He has an extensive background in compliance under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA), the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and the California Forest Practice Act. He is an acknowledged expert in complex project delivery, regional planning, and multi-party consultations. He thrives working in situations that require creative approaches to achieve successful outcomes.

Tony is well-versed in planning and project review for varying industries and circumstances including renewable energy, fossil fuels, electrical transmission, transportation, water infrastructure and conveyance, military installations, habitat restoration, vegetation management, regional resource management planning, and timber harvesting. He has completed regional and multi-state Section 106 consultation efforts involving hundreds of parties that resulted in new and innovative Programmatic Agreements.

Tony has conducted field work in six states, holds a Master of Arts in Anthropology (Archaeology) from California State University, Sacramento and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology (Archaeology) University of California Davis. He is qualified as a Principal Investigator under the Secretary of the Interior professional qualifications standards and is a Registered Professional Archaeologist.