James Reap

James K. Reap is an attorney and Professor Emeritus at the University of Georgia's College of Environment and Design, where he directed the graduate program in Historic Preservation. He holds affiliate appointments in the Department of Classics and the African Studies Institute, and has served as a visiting professor at institutions in Russia and Jordan, including as a Fulbright Scholar at the Jordan University of Science and Technology.

With more than four decades of experience in cultural heritage law and international preservation policy, Reap has collaborated with UNESCO, the U.S. Department of State, the Organization of American States, IICAS, and ICOMOS on heritage projects spanning Central Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. He was appointed by President Obama to the U.S. Cultural Property Advisory Committee (CPAC) and currently serves as Vice President of both ICOMOS USA and the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield. He has held leadership roles in ICOMOS's International Committee on Legal, Administrative, and Financial Issues (ICLAFI) and is a Fellow of US/ICOMOS.

A member of the State Bar of Georgia, Reap began his career as one of Georgia's first regional preservation planners and has chaired historic preservation commissions at the city and county level.

Professor Reap will address the role of cultural property agreements and nongovernmental organizations in protecting cultural heritage. He will also present findings from a think piece prepared for the Antiquities Coalition examining how CPAC's effectiveness could be strengthened through administrative reform and future legislation.