I am an historical archaeologist with research interests in the plantation societies of the colonial southeastern US and Caribbean, as well as towns and cities of the 19th and 20th century Midwest, with a particular focus on the African diaspora.

I received my Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania after completing a dissertation examining locally-made clay tobacco pipes from rural and urban sites in and around Jamestown, Virginia.  Prior to that, I was a staff archaeologist for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s Department of Archaeological Research, and even earlier, an undergraduate at the College of William and Mary.

Before coming to Carolina, I was an assistant professor in the anthropology department at DePaul University.  Recent research projects include excavation and community collaboration at the sites of New Philadelphia, Illinois, and the Phyllis Wheatley Home for Girls on the south side of Chicago.  In 2014, I started two new projects in North Carolina.

In addition to being an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology, I also have appointments in the Curriculum in Archaeology and the Department of African and African-American Diaspora Studies.