Adam Johnson will take over as director of the Center for Big Bend Studies (CBBS) at Sul Ross State University in January 2027. Johnson, an environmental anthropologist currently serving as an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, brings a focus on human-wildlife dynamics back to the region where he conducted much of his doctoral research.
The leadership change arrives as Sul Ross works to expand its broader anthropology offerings, including a newly launched Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Arts degree currently in development.
“Adam comes to CBBS at an exciting time, as Sul Ross expands opportunities for students to study anthropology and CBBS builds on nearly four decades of research in the Big Bend region,” said Louis Harveson, associate provost for research and development at Sul Ross. “He respects the tremendous archaeological legacy of CBBS, but he also sees opportunities to broaden our reach, engage more students and strengthen CBBS connections across the university and throughout the region.”
Johnson’s path to anthropology began on a rural North Carolina farm, leading to a bachelor’s degree from East Carolina University in 2014 and a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2017. During his final semester teaching at UNC Charlotte in April 2019, a gunman opened fire inside his classroom, killing two students and injuring four others. Though physically uninjured, the trauma forced Johnson to evaluate his career. He concluded that his commitment to teaching and research remained intact.
He moved to Texas later that year to begin doctoral work at the University of Texas at San Antonio, completing his Ph.D. in 2024. His dissertation focused on the coexistence of humans and javelinas in Texas, field research that frequently brought him to Alpine and the surrounding Chihuahuan Desert. That work formed the basis of his upcoming book, Living with Javelinas: Multispecies Conviviality in Texas, scheduled for publication by the University of Texas Press in October 2026.
In taking over CBBS, Johnson aims to build on the organization’s historic focus on archaeology by introducing broader environmental anthropology research, while also strengthening ties between the center and the local community.
“Right now, it’s very archaeology focused,” Johnson said. “I’m an environmental anthropologist, so I’m thinking about ways to expand that to be more inclusive of other subdisciplines of anthropology.”
He added that he wants community members to view the center as a first-stop resource for regional questions and issues, positioning CBBS as both a local fixture and a broader research hub for scholars across the state.
