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Renee Petruzelli, M.A. - Ms. Renee Petruzelli serves as Project Manager at Heritage Consultants. She earned a Master's Degree in Anthropology from the University of Connecticut and is a Registered Professional Archaeologist. She has considerable experience in the areas of zooarchaeology, lithic and precontact era ceramic studies, eighteenth and nineteenth century material culture analysis, and artifact conservation techniques. Ms. Petruzelli routinely completes projects throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and New York. including roadway improvement efforts, bridge replacements, solar centers, large and small electrical transmission and distribution projects, and other infrastructural endeavors, as well as many private development projects.

Antonio Medina, B.A. - Mr. Antonio Medina serves as Senior Archaeologist and Operations Manager at Heritage Consultants. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from Hartwick College in 1993 and has supervised dozens of cultural resources management projects in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New York. He has extensive experience working on electric transmission projects, natural gas, wind, solar, and other infrastructure improvement projects such as airports, railway lines, and highways.

Daniel Zoto, M.A., RPA - Mr. Zoto serves as a Project Manager at Heritage Consultants and has more than 12 years of professional experience in New England archaeology. He holds an M.A. from the University of Connecticut and a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He is a Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA# 5123). Dan has worked on more than 125 cultural resources projects and has been the lead or co-author on more than 50 technical reports associated with these projects. He specializes in lithic analysis, field methods, and public outreach.

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.

Nita Vitaliano, M.A. - Ms. Vitaliano serves as a Historian at Heritage Consultants. Originally from Massachusetts, she relocated to Connecticut for high school and attended the University of Connecticut, earning a Bachelor of Arts in both History and Anthropology. Ms. Vitaliano continued for a M.A. in History at UConn and spent years teaching, traveling, and continuing my adventures. I am passionate about connecting history to current events and 21st century concerns.

Stephanie Scialo, B.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.

Linda Seminario, B.A. - Ms. Linda Seminario is a Project Archaeologist and Archaeobotanical Analyst at Heritage Consultants. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology and Anthropology from Boston University and recently earned her Master of Arts degree in the Historical Archaeology program at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Her research interests include the impacts of colonialism and African diaspora archaeology.

Sean Buckley, B.A. - Mr. Buckley studied archaeology at Boston University from 2016 to 2019, and is currently pursuing a Master of Professional Science degree at Unity College. At Heritage, Sean serves as the GIS Director, where he manages all geospatial data, as well as GIS personnel.

Tevin Jourdain, B.A. - Mr. Tevin Jourdain is a Historian & GIS Specialist at Heritage Consultants, he attended the Norwich Free Academy and is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in history with a concentration in African American studies. While at Central Connecticut State University. Before joining Heritage, Mr. Jourdain worked at the Old Newgate Prison in East Granby, Connecticut, a Revolutionary War era prison that was formerly a copper mine. During his tenure at the Museum, he assisted with the identification and inventorying of historic cultural material collected from the prison grounds and Viet's Tavern, which was located across the street from the prison. Mr. Jourdain mentors young African American men. This affords him many opportunities to engage with the public and the local community in Hartford through event such The Boar's Head Festival, an annual music and theater production hosted in the oldest church in Hartford, as well the Weekly Choir Ensemble at the Immanuel Congregational Church in Hartford. While not directly related to his historical research skills, these volunteer efforts showcase Mr. Jourdain's commitment to youth development and community outreach.

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.

Erica Lang, B.A. - Ms. Erica Lang earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Hofstra University in Anthropology, Sociology, and Women's Studies. She recently earned her Master of Arts degree in Historical Archaeology at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She specializes in 18th and 19th century material culture and her research is focused 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 - 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, marine shell analysis, and improving the use of non-invasive survey methods within a cultural resource management context. He now works as a Geophysical Specialist.

Jeffrey Brown - 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 - Ms. Jones received her B.A. in biological anthropology with a minor in law from the University at Buffalo in 2021. She has extensive archaeological experience in cultural resource management and public archaeology in New England beginning in 2016. Fiona dedicated some of her undergraduate studies to GIS and began working with Dr. Leslie in 2020. In addition to her work at Heritage as a Geophysical Specialist, Fiona works for the University of Rhode Island's Department of Anthropology as a repatriation coordinator. Her interests include decolonization and human rights as they apply to archaeology and geophysical sciences.

Our Leadership

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David George, M.A., RPA

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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

Headshot of David Leslie Ph.D.

David Leslie, Ph.D., RPA

Headshot of Breanna Pisanelli.

Brenna Pisanelli, M.A.

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

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.

Headshot of Eric Heffter Ph.D.

Eric Heffter, Ph.D.

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.

Operations Manager

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Antonio Medina, B.A.

Project Managers

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Renee Petruzelli, M.A.

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Daniel Zoto, M.A., RPA

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Elise Manning-Sterling, M.A.

GIS Department

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Sean Buckley, B.A.

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Tevin Jourdain, B.A.

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Jeffrey Brown

Project Archaeologists

Picture of Stephanie Scialo, B.A.

Stephanie Scialo, B.A.

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Linda Seminario, M.A.

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Sam Spitschuh, B.A.

History Department

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David Naumec, Ph.D.

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Nita Vitaliano, M.A.

Laboratory Department

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Susannah Goeters, B.A.

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Erica Lang, M.A.

Geophysical Department

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Cole Peterson

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Fiona Jones