Fatima Clark has 17 years of archaeological experience supporting projects across California. She works with project teams and agencies to help navigate cultural resource requirements through fieldwork, surveys, monitoring, and environmental documentation. Earlier in her career, she worked closely with Southern California Edison on several major utility programs. In addition to archaeology, Fatima has also contributed to paleontological surveys and reporting.
What is your favorite ESA moment/memory so far?
In 2025, I had the chance to join the cultural resources team from Washington on an archaeological excavation in Oregon. Seeing the artifacts firsthand, experiencing the landscape, spotting beautiful double rainbows, and spending time out in nature made it an amazing and memorable experience.
What does it mean to you to be part of an employee-owned company?
Being part of this employee-owned company brings me great joy as I know I am investing in my future.
What keeps you coming to work here at ESA every day?
Colleagues/friends that I have known for many years and of course the diverse projects.
What is your hidden or special talent(s)?
I love to karaoke with my daughters and family during holidays and family parties.
What’s your favorite thing to do when you are out of the office?
Spending time with my husband, daughters, parents, and my dog children. I love the beach any time of the year.
If you had one free hour each day, how would you use it?
Listening to music, dancing, and hiking with my dogs.
What are three skills that you bring to the ESA team? In other words, what should colleagues know to reach out to you about?
- Archaeological and Paleontological monitoring
- Phase I CEQA and Section 106 – archaeological reporting
- EIR, PEIR, IS, Cat Ex documents for archaeo/paleo, and tribal
In a nutshell, what kind of work does your team do?
We work on a variety of projects, but the core of our work centers on archaeological and paleontological monitoring. This includes field monitoring to identify historic-period and precontact archaeological resources and fossils. We also conduct pedestrian surveys, prepare archaeological reports, and contribute to environmental documents such as EIRs and Initial Study sections.
Describe your role at ESA and the type of work you do.
I am a cultural resources specialist who primarily manages CEQA-compliant projects requiring archaeological, paleontological, and tribal cultural resources review, with responsibilities that include proposal development, project management, and technical writing.
