About the CWVA

Dr. Olivia A. Jones

Dr. Olivia A. Jones (PhD University of Groningen) obtained her B.A. from WVU and an M.A. from University College London in the United Kingdom prior to pursuing a Ph.D. in Greek archaeology from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Jones’ doctoral research focused on approaching Mycenaean (Late Bronze Age) mortuary practices with a bioarchaeological methodology. Her current research examines Mycenaean infant burial practices and human remains with a multi-faceted methodology including paleopathology and ancient DNA analyses. Jones is also actively engaged in fieldwork as the bioarchaeologist on multiple projects in Greece.

In addition to her academic research, Jones has worked in contract archaeology (CRM) in the eastern US and including over seven years as the Lead Curator at the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville, WV. She is currently a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at West Virginia University.

Zackery Hamilton-Cruze

Zackery Hamilton-Cruze holds a master’s degree in anthropology with a focus in maritime archaeology and a graduate certification in historic preservation from the University of West Florida. His love of scuba diving brought him to the profession of archaeology and his earliest professional experience involved the excavation of a Spanish ship of exploration which sank in 1559 off the coast of Pensacola, Florida. He has experience in both archaeological survey and architectural review in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California. His experience includes supervisory and field roles associated with Section 106 and Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act, archaeological surveys, National Register evaluations, Tribal Nation consultation, and excavations at both prehistoric and historic archaeological sites including mapping, excavation, and remote sensing survey of submerged shipwrecks and industrial coastal landscapes. 

He has authored technical reports for clients that include local, state, and federal governments, as well as private individuals and developers. In association with disaster recovery projects, he has served as a federal technical advisor and completed project review for a variety of laws and executive orders including NEPA, Floodplain and Wetlands Management Act, Environmental Justice, and No Effect determinations for the Endangered Species Act.

Dr. Emma Durham

Emma received her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Bryn Mar College followed by her Master of Philosophy in Prehistoric Archaeology from the University of Oxford. She also attended the University of Reading to earn her PhD in Archaeology. Emma has conducted extensive fieldwork around the world including work in England, France, Spain, and the Channel Islands. She spent over 25 years in England working as an archaeologist with major academic contributions in the form of scholarly articles and book chapters related to Roman Britain.

She has extensive experience working in high education including her time at the Oxfordshire County Museum, and her long career post as an archival researcher at the University of Reading where she was a research specialist in material culture. Emma wrote reports and oversaw all aspects of the production of monographs and edited volumes including editing contributions, copy editing and proofreading.

In February 2020, Emma moved to Morgantown, WV where she currently resides with her family, and she has been eager to take a larger role in the archaeology of the state. She has been working part-time as a copy editor for an archaeological publisher. She has also worked extensively with projects bringing heritage to the general public including her current work with the Watts Museum of West Virginia University where she recently served as their Americorps member.

Megan E. Leight

Megan Leight received her MA in Art History and Critical Museum Studies from the State University at Buffalo, specializing in ancient Greek art, and her MPhil in Anthropology from the City University of New York’s Graduate Center. She earned a BA in Art History from West Virginia University focusing on Roman art and architecture. Her doctoral dissertation explores Mesoamerican ritual, Maya belief, and ancient trade at the Pre-Columbian site of Salinas de los Nueve Cerros in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. She is currently a Teaching Assistant Professor with the School of Art and Design at West Virginia University.

Megan is a contributing author and volume co-editor for the forthcoming volume, Living Between Worlds: The Archaeology of the Northern Transversal Strip (University of Alabama Press 2021). Her fieldwork and laboratory analyses are published annually with the Guatemalan Instituto de Antropología e Historia de Guatemala (IDAEH), and she is a regular presenter at the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) annual conference as well as the Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala.  

Dr. Joshua Keene

Dr. Joshua Keene is a North American pre-contact archaeologist and geomorphologist with over 22 years of experience. He graduated with a Ph.D. (2016) and post-doc (2018) in Anthropology and Archaeology from Texas A&M University where he worked with the Center for the Study of the First Americans, after which he was a professor at Baylor University until 2022. He is based on Huntington, WV and currently is a professional Geoarchaeologist working for SWCA Environmental services’ Austin, Pittsburgh, and Chicago offices, where he works in a wide variety of geomorphological settings across North America, and routinely conducts geoarchaeological studies in support of development in various depositional contexts. In addition to his recent work at SWCA, he has extensive prior experience doing geoarchaeological analyses in alluvial, eolian, colluvial, and rockshelter settings, with published research emphasizing his expertise in the study of site formation processes, geochronology, pedogenic processes, peopling of the Americas, lithic analysis, pXRF raw material sourcing, paleoecology, technical illustration, and 3d imaging.

Dr. Marion Coe 

Dr. Marion Coe received her PhD and MA in Anthropology at Texas A&M University, and her BFA in Painting and Minor in Anthropology from Maryland Institute College of Art. She studies North American pre-contact archaeology, with regional foci in the Great Basin, Texas, and West Virginia. She specializes in perishable artifacts (basketry, cordage, and footwear) and is also an archaeobotanist. Coe is currently an Assistant Professor in Archaeology at Marshall University in Huntington, WV in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. She has also held instructional positions at Baylor University and Texas A&M. At Marshall, she is also the Archaeology Lab Director for the University’s archaeological and ethnological collections.

In addition to her academic research, Coe has also worked in contract archaeology (CRM) in Maryland, Texas, Idaho, and Nevada on pre-contact through historic-aged sites. She has also conducted fieldwork in Alaska, Greece, and Pennsylvania. As a professional artist, Coe’s creative works and technical illustrations have been featured in juried art shows and academic publications.

Basil J. Stewart

Basil Stewart is museum practitioner and professional archaeologist. He received his in MA in Public Archaeology at Binghamton University and BA in Anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh. His current research is centered on the ethical and culturally conscious care of human remains and mortuary collections in American museum and the role of grief in museum practice. He is the current NAGPRA Coordinator at Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville, WV.