David S. Whitley specializes in the prehistoric archaeology and ethnography of far western North America, with particular interests in sacred sites, rock art, chronometrics and cultural heritage management. He has also worked in southern Africa, the European Upper Paleolithic and Guatemala. His professional publications include 17 books/monographs and approximately 100 articles and chapters. Included among his recent books are The Rock Art of California (University of Utah Press, 2000), the edited volume Handbook of Rock Art Research (AltaMira Press, 2001), and Introduction to Rock Art Research (Left Coast Press, 2005, second edition 2011), which received a Choice Outstanding Academic Book Award for 2006. His latest book is Cave Paintings and the Human Spirit: The Origin of Creativity and Belief (Prometheus Books, 2009). His publications have been translated into 5 languages beyond English. Dr. Whitley has also written nominations for 460 sites that are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), and the 100 site Carrizo Plain Archaeological National Historic Landmark (NHL) district, approved in 2012. In 2001 he received the Thomas King Award from the Society for California Archaeology for Excellence in Cultural Resource Management.

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