Grad Student List
Jonah Campbell is in the MA in history program. He is from Chino Hills, California. Jonah graduated with a BA in History from Stetson University, with a minor in American studies. His research has covered privateers and pirates from the 1600s to the early 1800s, including the use of privateers during the American Revolution. Outside of school he enjoys cooking and gaming.
“Jason Catalano is a Maritime Studies graduate student at ECU. He grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania where he earned an A.S. in Criminal Justice from Lackawanna College. Upon graduating, Jason continued his studies at East Stroudsburg University where he earned a B.A. in History and a B.A. in Philosophy. While at East Stroudsburg University, Jason worked as an archivist strengthening his research, writing, and preservation skills. Additionally, Jason has recently conducted philosophical research in Beijing, China. He also participated in zoological fieldwork in Costa Rica, where he studied terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Jason’s primary research experience involves Ancient-Early Modern European history and American history. His undergraduate thesis, ‘The Witches of Belvoir Castle,’ focused on Early-Modern European witch trials, religion, medicine, gender roles, and more during the 17th century. Jason hopes to continue gaining interdisciplinary experiences and opportunities while studying at ECU.”
Ian Dunshee is a first-year graduate student in the Maritime Studies Program. Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, he graduated with a B.S. in Anthropology, a B.A. in French, and a GIS Certificate from the University of Iowa in 2016. Since then, he has worked in different regions to broaden his professional experience. Some of these include helping to preserve iron mining heritage in northern Minnesota with the Conservation Corps and Minnesota DNR, conducting a Fulbright-sponsored prehistoric rock art digitization project in the Lesser Antilles, and most recently working as a GIS specialist and CRM field archaeologist in the southwestern United States. Ian hopes to continue his research in Caribbean archaeology and digital archaeological methods development, ultimately to pursue a doctorate degree and a career in academic research and heritage management.
Matthew Howell an eastern North Carolina native from Wilmington, is a first-year graduate student at East Carolina University (ECU), where he focuses on American history. He is married with three children and works as the Director of Operations for a large e-commerce firm in Wilmington, a position he has held for the last 12 years.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Fayetteville State University, where he graduated summa cum laude. He spent several years performing interpretive work at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where he met his wife. Now in his mid-40s, Matthew has returned to academia to pursue a master’s degree, aiming to re-enter the realm of public history. His academic interests lie in colonial and Civil War history, particularly within North Carolina.
Active in the local history community, Matthew is an administrator of the Cape Fear Civil War Round Table, where his wife, a doctoral candidate at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), serves as president. His love for history is matched by his passion for nature and music. He enjoys spending time outdoors with his family, reading and writing history, as well as playing his drums and his banjo.
Brylee Huber is a first-year student in the Maritime Studies program. She grew up near Kansas City and graduated with a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Arkansas. While working for a terrestrial field school, she helped to uncover a historic pottery kiln site. She has spent the last year splitting her time between working in a paleoethnobotany lab and cataloging artifacts at the Arkansas Archaeological Survey. Her research interests include maritime trade history, piracy, and the ethnobotanical effects of both piracy and commerce. When at home, she is hiking, writing, or playing video games.
Rebecca Kelley is a graduate student in the Maritime Studies program. After a bit of a circuitous route through college, including a three-year stint as an International Studies major and a detour through paramedic school, she most recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in History from University of North Carolina at Asheville. During her time at UNCA she gained an appreciation for multi-perspective historical narratives, as well as public and digital history through working as an undergraduate research fellow with the 828 Project’s African American Churches and Cemeteries Initiative. Her undergraduate thesis work inspired her research interests in historical climatology, meteorology, and their relevance to the maritime world. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her horses and cat, reading, gardening, knitting, and being outdoors.
Michael Lee is a graduate student in the Maritime Studies program. A native of California, he graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in History and a minor in English Literature. He received his Juris Doctor from UCLA’s School of Law in 2005 and, after fifteen years as a practicing attorney, decided to pursue his lifelong interest in archaeology. He has volunteered at archaeological digs at Grand St. Bernard in Switzerland, Tel Megiddo in Israel, and Vindolanda Roman Fort in Great Britain. Prior to enrolling at ECU he attended the Balkan Heritage Foundation’s underwater field school in Nessebar, Bulgaria. His interests include the archaeology of the Mediterranean, as well as the maritime histories of pre-Colonial America and the United States Civil War. In addition to being trained as a field excavator, he hopes to prepare a comprehensive survey of laws and regulations governing maritime cultural property in the United States and contribute to a legal field guide for future practitioners.
Keegan Maxheimer is a first-year student in the Maritime Studies program. He was born and raised in Central Illinois. He received his undergraduate degree in Maritime Studies at the University of West Florida. He has done excavations of the 16th-century failed Spanish settlement of Don Tristan de Luna in Pensacola, Florida. He has also dived on different shipwrecks scattered around the area. His academic interests include 16th-18th century piracy, the British Empire and colonization, as well as the American Civil War and Irish history. Outside of school, Keegan enjoys reading, watching movies, and exploring anywhere he can.
Liam O’Brien is an incoming student in the Maritime Studies program from Pensacola, Florida. He comes from a US Navy family, with members currently serving in both sea and air. This service inspired his love for Maritime history. Liam earned his Bachelor’s degree in History from Florida State University. Areas of specialty and interest for Liam are Colonial History, (i.e. “The New World,” its colonies and naval presence, Seven Years War, etc.), as well as 19th– 20th century US naval history. His interests outside history are reading, sailing, and cooking.
Alexandria Price is a student in the MA in History program, focusing on American history. She obtained her Bachelors of Arts in History from The University of North Carolina at Pembroke. She is a military brat who considers the whole United States her home. Her research focus is the military community. For over a year she has been volunteering at the Coastal Museum of the Marines in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Outside of academia Alexandria likes to travel, and make scrapbooks as well as explore castles, historic sites, and museums.
Ian Rickert is a first-year student in the Maritime Studies program, who is originally from Villa Park, IL. He graduated with a BS in Archaeology, with a minor in history and photography from the University of Wisconsin La-Crosse in 2024. He became interested in maritime archeology from a young age, learning about the discovery of the Titanic and its history. Since then, he has had a great interest in archaeology and maritime archaeology. Some research interests include using photogrammetry to observe the sites in situ, shipwreck archaeology, and the conservation of artifacts. Some of my other hobbies are reading, exploring, photography, and spending time with family and friends.
Melanie Simmons is a first-year graduate student for the Maritime Studies program at ECU. She was raised in Kansas and in the Texas Hill Country. Melanie graduated from the University of North Texas with a B.A in History with a focus on European history and a B.A in Anthropology with focuses on Cultural Anthropology and Social Justice. A few of her research interests include naval warfare during WWII, the impacts of cultural contact through ships around the world, and seafaring societies of the past and present. In her time outside of academia and work, Melanie likes to hike and explore nearby museums and bookstores.
Kelly Welton (Kel) is originally from Evergreen, Colorado. She received a B.S. in Biochemistry, with a minor in Biological Anthropology, followed by an M.S. in Toxicology from Colorado State University in 2017 and 2019, respectively. She then spent the next several years working as a Forensic Chemist and Crime Scene Investigator at the Wyoming State Crime Laboratory. A longtime student of history and an avid scuba diver, Kel decided to change careers and pursue maritime archaeology. Her research interests include the conservation and preservation of artefacts retrieved from underwater sites, conflict archaeology, and the Age of Sail in the Pacific. In her free time, Kel enjoys being outdoors, pursuing amateur astronomy, and practicing tai chi.
Ethan Whiten is originally from Taylors, SC. He is a first-year graduate student in the Maritime Studies program. Ethan graduated from Coastal Carolina University with a BA in History and a Certificate in Applied Archaeology. He has worked on the Laurel Hill Plantation site in Murrells’s Inlet, SC along with various shipwrecks in Charleston, SC. He has also accompanied James D. Spirek, South Carolinas State Underwater Archaeologists on a magnetometer survey of the “De Ayllon Wreck” off the coast of Georgetown, SC. His current research interests are shipwrecks from the 19th-20th centuries, as well as the preservation of shipwrecks and cultural heritage sites. Ethan hopes to start his own contracting business to ensure that historical wrecks and cultural heritage sites are not damaged during construction or work taking place near those locations.
Hannah Woodall is a first-year graduate student in the MA program in history, and her concentration is European history. Born in Fort Worth, Texas, raised in Greenville, NC, Hannah got her Bachelor of Arts in History from Meredith College, minoring in Political Science and International Studies. While at Meredith, she also had the opportunity to study abroad in Sansepolcro, Italy. This experience furthered her love for Italian culture, cuisine, and history. Her historical interests include ancient Rome and the Italian Renaissance. Hannah works as a deputy clerk of court in the Pitt County Courthouse in the Civil Department. In her free time, she enjoys watching Formula 1, exploring museums, and being a cat mom to her two cats, Milo and Rainy.