In the pursuit of a deeper understanding of our world and those who reside in it, we do more than write books; we seek to transmit information, whether academic, historical, or informational, with clarity and precision: producing understandable, informative, and insightful works.
Sharing a passion for the written word, husband and wife team Dr. Steven L. Danver, Ph.D. and his wife Lauren, have formed the foundation of Mesa Verde Publishing since 2008.
Although we make our home in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with its mountain air and pungent smell of evergreens ever-present, our business name pays homage to Mesa Verde, Colorado and the majestic Mesa Verde National Park in the southwest corner of the state. It’s known for its well-preserved Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings, notably the huge Cliff Palace. Moreover, the area is rich in ancient Native American culture and history. Steve’s area of study while earning his doctorate in American history was specifically focused on the history of the American Indian peoples and the American West, which is why our business name reflects both a love of land, of peoples, and of history.
Our company had humble beginnings. In 2004, Lauren began the company as Mesa Verde Ventures, offering website design and marketing for small businesses. Then, in 2008, that endeavor organized to include Steve’s academic publishing skills, and the company reorganized into Mesa Verde Publishing LLC. Today, we have our fingers in different aspects of the publishing world, and are still as passionate about the stories that words on a page can tell.
Here’s a little bit more about us:
Dr. Steven Danver has worked in the publishing industry since 2000. He has been managing editor of Journal of the West since 2004 and has worked as an editor and a writer on over eighty historical reference books, including Water Politics and Policy in the United States (with John R. Burch Jr., CQ Press/SAGE, 2011), which was named to the 2012 Outstanding Academic Title list by the American Library Association’s Choice magazine. Dr. Danver currently serves as Dean of Arts & Sciences at Peninsula College. A lifelong resident of the American West, he was born and raised in Southern California and has, at various times, lived in Central California, Northern California, Utah, and Colorado. He currently resides in Washington State.
After completing a bachelor’s degree in religious studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara and a master’s degree in historical studies from Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, he earned his doctorate in American history from the University of Utah, concentrating on the history of American Indian peoples and the American West. His dissertation, Liquid Assets: A History of Tribal Water Rights Strategies in the American Southwest, to be published by the University of Oklahoma Press, examines the long history of one of the most important issues of modern relevance to American Indians in the West.
Professionally, he has specialized in the history and politics of the American West, as well as in American Indian and American environmental history and policy. His research has largely centered on natural resource policy as it has applied to American Indian nations. He has taught at nearly every type of institution of higher education, including large research universities, small liberal arts colleges, community colleges, and online universities.
Lauren Danver has played instrumental roles in helping grow two different start-up companies in the Santa Barbara, California area over the span of her corporate career.
Eleven and a half years with a software development firm, holding various positions of responsibility, cemented her vast and broad business background. Seven years with a start-up insurance agency brought additional skills in the areas of sales and marketing to add to her broad business knowledge base.
In 2004, she left corporate life to form Mesa Verde Ventures. Since then, Lauren has worked full-time as content publisher and business consultant, working with high-profile entrepreneurs and small businesses interested in establishing or revamping their online brand.
Her broad skills have allowed for a diverse role in the growth and trajectory of the company. Today, Lauren forms the backbone of MVP’s daily operations, as well as overseeing the online publishing platforms owned by MVP. She continues to develop content for readers everywhere.