Brenna Pisanelli, M.A. - Ms. Pisanelli, a Senior Project Manager at Heritage Consultants, graduated from Roger Williams University in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Historic Preservation and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology & Sociology as well as Art & Architectural History. She earned her Master of Arts degree in American Studies from Brown University in 2019. Working from an interdisciplinary lens, her research focuses on how concepts surrounding authenticity and historical narrative impact the construction of cultural identities and sense of place, and how this informs our preservation practices. She believes in the importance of public outreach and creating visibility and accessibility within the industry.
David W. Trubey, M.A. - Mr. Trubey has over 25 years of experience in the field of archaeology and cultural resources management. Since earning his M.A. from the University of Massachusetts-Boston, he has served in both public and private sector positions investigating terrestrial and underwater archaeological sites throughout New England, the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. David has extensive Section 106 review and compliance experience. His research interests include the post-European contact settlement of New Hampshire and the development of transportation systems.
Samantha Lee, Ph.D. - Dr. Samantha Lee is a Project Archaeologist at Heritage Consultants. She received her PhD in Anthropology from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2024, and also holds an MA in Applied Anthropology and an MA in Historic Preservation from UMD. Her dissertation research focused on enslaved childhoods in the Antebellum Southern United States and how they may be represented and understood archaeologically. Samantha is interested in the practical application of critical historical archaeology to unmask ideology and create meaningful social change.
Kaitlin Adams, B.A. - Mrs. Kaitlin Adams earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from the University of Connecticut in 2024. She has previous experience working in the field and is currently working as a GIS specialist at Heritage. Her interests include lithic technology and New England archaeology.
David Naumec, Ph.D. - Dr. David Naumec serves as Historian at Heritage Consultants. He specializes in military history and has participated in dozens of very important projects across the region related to seventeenth through early nineteenth eighteenth century battles, including those related to the Pequot War, King Philips War, the Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812. Dr. Naumec's areas of expertise include historical research, curation, collections management, and archival practices. His main research interests include Early American social history, New England history, Native and African-American history, Military history, and genealogical research.
Kody Messier, B.A. - Kody is a GIS Specialist at Heritage Consultants. He graduated from the University of Connecticut with a B.A in Anthropology and Urban & Community Studies. A background in 3D geometric scanning, infrastructure management, and field data collection led Kody to the cultural resource industry, where his experience can be applied to assist Heritage via geographic information systems.
Stephanie Scialo, M.A. - Ms. Stephanie Scialo is a Project Archaeologist with nine years of cultural resource management experience in New England, New York, and Pennsylvania. She is currently a doctoral student at the University of Connecticut with a focus in North American archaeology, lithic technologies and collections analysis.
William Yerxa, M.A. - Mr. Yerxa earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Arts degree in Public History from Central Connecticut State University. His research interests include 17th century New England, Early Modern Europe, and the Atlantic World.
Allison Anderson, B.A. - Ms. Allison Anderson earned her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Sociology with a concentration in criminology from SUNY Oneonta in 2023. She is currently a graduate student in the Cultural and Heritage Resource Management program at the University of Maryland. Her research interests are focused in North American archaeology and lithic technologies.
Abigail Rodriguez, B.A. - Ms. Rodriguez received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Connecticut in 2024 for Anthropology and Classics & Ancient Mediterranean Studies. She serves as the Administrative Assistant at Heritage Consultants. She has spent several years working on archaeobotanical analysis (particularly calcium oxalate analysis), for both Turkish archaeobotany and New England archaeobotany.
Susannah Goeters, B.A. - Ms. Susannah Goeters holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biological Anthropology from Southern Connecticut State University, where she graduated summa cum laude in 2021. Her research interests include historical archaeology and human osteology and she serves as Laboratory Manager at Heritage.
Erica Lang, M.A. - Erica Lang is a Project Archaeologist at Heritage Consultants. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Hofstra University in Anthropology, Sociology, and Women's Studies, and her Master of Arts degree in Historical Archaeology from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She specializes in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century material culture, and her research interests focus on the intersections between race, gender, and class in everyday, lived experiences.
Elise Manning-Sterling, M.A. - Ms. Manning-Sterling has been working as a full-time professional archaeologist since receiving her BA in anthropology from the State University of New York at Binghamton in New York. In that time, she has overseen and participated in archaeological investigations in the northeast and the mid-Atlantic region, and throughout the United States, including excavations in New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, New Mexico and on the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. She acquired a specialty in faunal analysis during her studies for a Master's Degree in Historical Archaeology from the College of William and Mary in Virginia. Two other specialty areas are: Military archaeology, which has included multi-year studies at Fort Ticonderoga, Antietam Battlefield and Hubbardton Battlefield; and Farmstead archaeology which has included studies of the Cram Homestead in Stratham, New Hampshire, the Samuel Harrison Homestead in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the Harwood Farmstead and Orchard in Bennington, Vermont, and the Locher and Poffenberger farmsteads in Sharpsburg, Maryland. For the last 24 years, Elise has primarily concentrated her historic and precontact archaeological work in New England.
Cole Peterson, B.A. - Mr. Peterson, a Connecticut native, received a B.A. in History and Economics from Bard College at Simon's Rock in 2021. He has worked in archaeology in New England since then, with experience in both field and laboratory settings. His research interests include the 17th century in the Native Northeast, coastal geoarchaeology, and improving the use of geospatial information in a cultural resource management context.
Jeffrey Brown, B.A. - Jeffrey Brown is a highly skilled GIS specialist with a passion for history. As a valued member of the team at Heritage Consultants, he leverages his expertise in Geographic Information Systems to provide innovative solutions for a wide range of clients. Jeffrey graduated from the esteemed University of Massachusetts Amherst with a Bachelor of Science degree, where he eagerly filled his electives with GIS courses to further hone his skills. With an unwavering interest in history, Jeffrey was thrilled to join Heritage Consultants and work on projects that allow him to explore the past through the lens of GIS. He takes great pride in his work, ensuring that each project is executed with the utmost precision and attention to detail.
Sam Spitzschuh B.A. - Mr. Spitzschuh studied Anthropology and History at the University of Connecticut from 2014 to 2018 and has been working in the cultural resource industry since then. At Heritage Sam has worked in the field on a variety of projects over the years and loves excavating Native American archaeological sites, traveling throughout the northeast, and learning about lithic technology in the area.
Fiona Jones, B.A. - Ms. Jones started at Heritage Consultants in 2023. She received her B.A. in biological anthropology from the University at Buffalo in 2021 and is currently a PhD student at Syracuse University. She has extensive archaeological experience in cultural resource management and public archaeology in New England beginning in 2016. Her interests include decolonization and human rights as they apply to archaeology and geophysical sciences.
Eric Heffter, Ph.D., RPA - Dr. Heffter, a Senior Project Manager at Heritage Consultants, has over 15 years of experience studying the archaeology of North America and Central and Southeastern Europe. A former Fulbright Scholar, Eric earned his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Arizona in 2021. His dissertation focused on population movements in Southeastern Europe and the Balkans during the Early Upper Paleolithic. He has spent the past several years working in cultural resources management in New England, including on several large-scale data recovery programs. His research interests include GIS analysis, geoarchaeology and lithic analysis.
Our Leadership
David George, M.A., RPA
William Keegan, B.A.
David George is President & CEO of Heritage Consultants. He has over 30 years of experience in cultural resources management and has directed over 3,000 projects throughout the Nation, with an emphasis on New England and New York. Mr. George holds an M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Connecticut and is a National Park Service 36 CFR 61-qualified archaeologist. He has completed projects on behalf of hundreds of clients and understands the intricacies of the cultural resources management process. DGeorge@Heritage-Consultants.com
Mr. William F. Keegan serves as Vice President and Historical Geographer at Heritage Consultants. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from the University of Connecticut in 1996. He is a co-founder of the company and he specializes in archival, genealogical, and historical research, as well as Geographic Information Systems applications in archeology, specifically historic landscape reconstruction and fatal flaws analysis. WKeegan@Heritage-Consultants.com
David Leslie, Ph.D., RPA
Dr. Leslie is the Director of Research at Heritage Consultants and has over 20 years of archaeological experience. He is a geoarchaeologist and lithic specialist, and earned his Ph.D. in Anthropology at the University of Connecticut. He has worked at all levels of archaeology and spent the last eight years as a Principal Investigator in the Northeast, designing and implementing all phases of archaeological survey and recovery, including geophysical and geoarchaeological investigations. His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Science, PaleoAmerica, Archaeology of Eastern North America, and Northeast Anthropology. DLeslie@Heritage-Consultants.com