Kate Manning earned her M.A. in anthropology from Mississippi State University. Kate has over a decade of experience on all phases of archaeological investigations in the southeast with extensive work in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. She is an FAA Part 107 sUAS licensed drone operator since 2018, conducting drone photography and mapping. Kate’s primary research interests are lithic technologies, prehistory of the southeast with a focus along the Tennessee River Valley, and the application of GNSS and RTK mapping in Cultural Resource Management.

Kristen Koors received her B.A. in anthropology and a Master of Library Information Studies from The University of Alabama. Ms. Koors has 28 years of experience in the Cultural Resources Management field and has facilitated government-to-government consultations between 19 sovereign American Indian nations and tribes and various federal agencies (National Guard, Dept. of Defense, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Tennessee Valley Authority) since 2007. Ms. Koors has experience working with the National Park Service; the U.S. Corps of Engineers, Mobile and Savannah Districts; and the Alabama Department of Transportation, as well as managing cultural resources projects for the Army Environmental Command; Army Medical Command, Hampton Roads Naval Museum; Great Lakes Naval Museum; Fort Benning and Fort Stewart Military Installations; and several private engineering and environmental companies.

She brings her experience, organizational skills, and reputation as a well-respected advocate for American Indian issues. She has also served as lead co-author on one of the first Traditional Cultural Properties (TCP) identification studies in the State of Alabama. The study resulted in the location and documentation of five TCPs along with a written record of the late eighteenth to early nineteenth century history of a little studied area in the state.

Ashley Stewart received her Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Alabama, where her research focused on bioarchaeology, dental anthropology, and mortuary analysis. She has over 15 years of archaeological experience in all phases of archaeological investigation, with ten of those years dedicated to osteological and bioarchaeological analysis.

Ross Butz is an Afghanistan war veteran who served as an infantryman in the US Army.  He received his B.A. and M.A. in anthropology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Ross has experience working on CRM projects in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia. His regional areas of interest include the Tennessee River Valley and the northern Gulf Coastal Plain. His topical areas of interest include Mississippian archaeology, social organization, geoarchaeology, lithic technology, political economy, and the history of archaeology.

James Roncki earned his B.A. in anthropology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He serves as a field director for TVAR. James has worked on archaeological projects of various phases across the southeastern United States.

Dylan Colucci earned his B.A. in anthropology and M.A. in applied anthropology from Mississippi State University. His research interests include early lithic technologies in the Eastern Woodlands and Late Pleistocene archaeology in the Tennessee and Lower Mississippi River Valleys. Dylan has experience working on CRM projects across Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and the Carolinas. 

Keenan Drake earned his MSc. in Mediterranean Archaeology from the University of Edinburgh with a focus in Bronze Age and Early Iron Age civilizations in the Aegean and Levant. He earned his B.A. at the University of Alabama with a degree in anthropology. He is an FAA Part 107 sUAS licensed drone operator, conducting drone photography and mapping. His current research interests include fortification systems in Bronze Age Crete and Jordan, as well as landscape archaeology and settlement patterns in Neolithic Crete. Keenan has five years of Cultural Resource Management experience in the Southeast, including all levels of archaeological field work. In Europe, Keenan has participated in the Mochlos Archaeological Project for three field seasons where he has led field crews in their excavation of trenches, sorted residue, and partaken in Middle Minoan pottery typology research.

Roberto Ortega received his B.A. in classics and anthropology from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. His interests lie primarily in Mesoamerican, Ancient Near Eastern, and Medieval Spanish art, architecture, and ethnography.

Jarod Duke received his B.A. in anthropology from Mississippi State University. His interests are primarily in the prehistory of Mississippi and Alabama. He is also interested in in the prehistory of both the southeastern and southwestern United States.

Logan Ostrom earned a B.A. in anthropology with a minor in GIS from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. A native of the Knoxville, Tennessee area and an Eagle Scout, Logan is an experienced outdoorsman who has spent a great amount of time in the mountains of East Tennessee. Logan has multiple years of CRM experience on a wide variety of projects throughout the Southeast. He has a keen interest in Appalachia, from pre-Columbian times to the challenges facing the region today. Logan has visited and explored multiple sites of historic significance throughout the country and especially in the Southeast. 

Riley Dale received his B.A. in anthropology from Mississippi State University. He has been with the team for over 3 years and has experience doing all phases of CRM Archaeology. His interests lie in firearms trade to Native peoples, how they were modified, and their impact. As well as native pottery and lithic tools from the Southeast. 

Robert McBride graduated from the University of Tennessee with a B.A. in anthropology focusing on Southeastern archeology and religious practices. After graduation, Robert has undertaken surveys in the Cumberland Plateau region searching for those places that spiritually connected people to the land.

Jeremy Spoons earned a B.A. in geography with an anthropology minor from Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, AL.  His primary interests include resolving and implementing a careful and accurate recording of archaeological data during fieldwork. The study of southeastern indigenous settlement patterns as found in field archaeology, as well as their implied connection to the broader human social complexes, are a central motivation and inspiration for his efforts.

Miles Hundley received his B.S. in anthropology from Troy University. He has experience in phase I and phase II CRM archaeology. His interests are in woodland period religion, foodways, and trade networks.

Michael Lee worked for 30 years in construction before joining TVAR as an Archaeological Mechanical Excavator. He has eight years of experience in mechanical stripping and trenching at over 40 Native American, African American, and Euroamerican sites in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

Preservation & Research Team

Shanda Davidson received her M.A. in history with a concentration in public history and historic preservation from the University of West Georgia. Ms. Davidson was the Historic Programs Assistant at the Alabama Historical Commission before moving to the private sector of cultural resource management. Ms. Davidson’s professional experience covers an array of survey and Section 106 compliance projects for federal, state, and local entities as well as private sector clients. Ms. Davidson also worked as a docent at the Frank Lloyd Wright-Rosenbaum House in Florence, Alabama where she researched and studied the Usonian architectural style and the concept of organic architecture. Her other research interests include the development of Ranch house subdivisions after World War II and transportation architecture including buildings and structures related to both the automobile and railroads.

John O’Brien received a B.A. in history with cognates in Public History and Global Studies from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He later earned an M.A. in history from the University of Alabama in Huntsville where his work focused on urban renewal in Alabama. Mr. O’Brien has extensive experience in archival work and historic research across Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi. He has presented original research at the Alabama Historical Association’s annual conference and contributed to the Encyclopedia of Alabama. His research interests include ecological history, commodity history, and the urban history of the southeast.

Arik Daly completed his M.A. in history from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) in 2024. After graduating from UAH with an undergraduate degree in history, he worked with public libraries before joining TVAR in 2022. Arik has worked on all phases of archaeology in the southeastern United States. His research interests are in public and cultural history, primarily in the United States.

Laboratory Team

Mindy Rogers received her M.A. in anthropology with a focus in biological anthropology from Texas State University, her B.S. in Biology from Birmingham Southern College and she is a member of multiple professional organizations. She has thirteen years of combined field and laboratory experience in all phases of archaeological investigation throughout the southeastern United States, Texas, and the Dutch Caribbean, which includes conducting forensic anthropological, bioarchaeological, terrestrial, and maritime recoveries and analyses. Her primary interests include biological anthropology with an emphasis in forensics and dental anthropology, bioarchaeology, and maritime archaeology.

Emily McMillon received her M.A. In Historical Archaeology and B.A. in Anthropology with a minor in Environmental Science from the University of West Florida. She has over a decade of combined experience in archeological lab and field work for both terrestrial and maritime sites. She has also participated in, supervised, or field directed at 5 different field schools for conservation, terrestrial, and maritime archaeology. Her interests include mending, research, and colonial archaeology.

Evan Fausz graduated from the University of South Alabama with a B.A. in Anthropology and earned a Masters in Anthropology from the University of North Carolina Charlotte. Evan was first introduced to TVAR through a work study program while attending high school in 2016, where he found a passion for archaeology. After working part time for TVAR during the summers of his degrees, he returned to work in the lab full time in 2023. He is interested in various forms of experimental archaeology, particularly involving lithic tool production and Native American ceramic replication. 

Grace English graduated with a B.A. in English and Art History from the University of Alabama at Huntsville. She is TVAR’s Collections Manager as well as a Laboratory Technician. Her art history concentration focused on nineteenth century material culture, and she brings this interest to her research in historic archaeology. Grace has experience curating projects to the standards of facilities across the southeast, including legacy project curation mitigation and digital and physical archiving. She also trains others in curation and laboratory practices.

GIS & Mapping Team

Katie Weis received a B.S. in anthropology from Troy University and minored in GIS. Her primary interests are GIS applications in anthropology.

Katie Breiding received a B.S. in earth systems science with a concentration in human dimensions and societal impacts from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Her main interest is in the use of GIS technologies in monitoring resource management and the interactions between societies and their environments.

Frequently Asked Questions: Archaeological Consultants in Alabama

What do archaeological consultants in Alabama do? Archaeological consultants in Alabama conduct Phase I identification surveys, Phase II eligibility evaluations, and Phase III data recovery excavations for construction, infrastructure, and development projects. They ensure Section 106 compliance under the National Historic Preservation Act and deliver reports that meet SHPO and federal agency requirements.

When do I need an archaeological consultant in Alabama? You need an archaeological consultant when your project involves federal funding, permitting, or land — triggering Section 106 review. Projects like road construction, pipeline installation, utility work, and federally assisted housing developments commonly require archaeological survey in Alabama.

Are TVAR’s archaeologists registered with the RPA? Yes. TVAR’s principal investigators hold RPA (Register of Professional Archaeologists) certification, the primary professional credential for practicing archaeologists in the United States. RPA certification demonstrates adherence to professional ethics and standards required by most federal and state agencies.

Does TVAR operate outside of Alabama? Yes. While based in Alabama, TVAR’s archaeological consultants regularly work across the Southeast, including Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas. Our team is experienced with the SHPO requirements and cultural resource standards of multiple southeastern states.