Grad Student List
Sascha Baldauf
Hello, my name is Sascha, I am a graduate student at East Carolina University (ECU) studying maritime archaeology. I entered the program with a bachelors in anthropology from Utah State University and a background in archaeology and maritime archaeology field work. My honors undergraduate thesis focused on studying a museum object to add provenance and context to the object. My passion lies in museum work of all kinds. Maritime history and archaeology has always fascinated me as does museum work, therefore I’d like to combine my interests and work in a maritime museum in the future. As of now, I currently have three years of museum experience and I loved every minute of it. I look forward to pursue my academic passions and contribute to my professional career as a graduate student at ECU.
Jonah Campbell
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
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.
Roslyn Cruz
Roslyn is a first-year graduate student pursuing the MA in History with a concentration in American History. Her primary focus will be African American history, race, identity, and the ways historical narratives shape our understanding of the past. Her research interests center on the legal, social, and cultural construction of racial identity in the United States, particularly biracial identity from the eighteenth century through early twentieth. She isexcited to pursue her passion for history and research alongside her fellow graduate students and faculty at ECU. Outside of academia, she enjoys music, reading, and creating memories with family and friends.
Christos Darras
Christos is a first-year graduate student in the Maritime Studies program. Being a native of Florida, he is a 2025 graduate of Florida Atlantic University, earning a BA in History & Anthropology, minoring in Museums, Archives, & Public History, and a certification in ArcGIS. While studying at FAU, he participated in consecutive study abroad field schools in Coastal Ecuador (2023-2024), learning about the indigenous culture of the Manteño. His experiences at this field school developed his interest in ceramics as part of his research interests.
Christos also has experience in museum-level art handling, where he uses his skillset in the art department of ECU, where he is the lead art handler for The Wellington B. Gray Gallery located in the Jenkins Fine Art Center. During his off time, you will likely find Christos skateboarding, at the gym, playing video games, or playing card games.
Anya Duffy
Anya Duffy is a second-year graduate student in the ECU MA History program. She graduated from ECU in 2026 with her undergraduate degree as a double major in History and Political Science, with a pre-law concentration. She is one of the MA History program’s first accelerated students, having completed her first year of the program in conjunction with her senior year of undergraduate studies.
Anya enjoys studying American industrial and immigrant labor history, with her passion stemming from Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle. She also has a deep passion for constitutional history and legal processes, and aims to attend law school upon her degree completion.
Born and raised in Ripon, Wisconsin, Anya had the opportunity to come to ECU as a Brinkley-Lane Scholar. She enjoys hiking, swimming, reading, traveling, and exploring new coffee shops.
Colton Eads
Colton Eads hails from Indiana and is a first-year graduate student in Maritime Studies. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Anthropology from Texas A&M University. His research interests center on the development and evolution of Spanish ship design from the fifteenth through the eighteenth centuries, with a particular focus on the technological and structural changes that shaped Spanish maritime expansion during the Age of Exploration. In addition to his academic pursuits, Colton enjoys traveling, studying foreign languages, and exploring the outdoors.
Andrew Elsenrath
Andrew Elsenrath is a first year graduate student here at East Carolina University in the Maritime Studies and Nautical Archaeology program. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History from Valdosta State University in 2025. In addition to studying at Valdosta State University, he has studied at Georgia Southern University working on the Camp Lawton Archaeological Field School project led by Dr. Ryan McNutt, studied abroad at the Uniwersytet Gdanski in Gdansk, Poland and took archaeology courses at the University of Tennessee- Chattanooga by Dr. Andrew Workinger. Also, he has worked two seasons at Yellowstone National Park, Montana and a season working in Denali National Park, Alaska. His research interests are in the field of nautical archaeology and working on sunken ships, equipment, naval structures, and aquatic battlefields with a curiosity in military affairs/events and conflict archaeology in maritime environments. Outside of the classroom, Andrew enjoys sports, traveling to historical sites or new places and being outdoors in nature.
Samantha Greger
Samantha is a graduate student in East Carolina University’s M.A. in History program. She holds a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of South Carolina Upstate and an M.A.T. from Anderson University and currently teaches middle school science. Her research interests include medieval and early modern England, Victorian and Edwardian Britain, World War history, and the intersections of power, identity, folklore, myth, and oral history. She is particularly interested in how lived experiences, cultural narratives, and social structures shape individual and collective identities. Outside of academics, Samantha enjoys reading, needle arts, music, and spending time with her family.
Billy Gordon
Billy Gordon, Jr. joins the Maritime Studies graduate program after earning his dual BA degrees in History and Anthropology at East Carolina University. A native of Chocowinity, North Carolina, he returned to the area after 20+ years of service in the US Navy. His time in both maritime and expeditionary environments helped foster an interest in the people, places, and technology that shaped maritime history.
Academically, he is interested in US Civil War naval operations and ironclad development, naval battlefield archeology, and examining the relationship between naval technologies and their impacts on the human experience at sea.
Outside academia, Billy enjoys restoring classic trucks, gardening both in and outdoors, and can often be found with a cup of strong coffee and a bit of classic literature.
Jessie Henderson
Jessie Henderson is from Cleveland, Tennessee and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Digital Media with a Studio Emphasis from Lee University. Jessie’s love of United States military history began at a young age through family stories, and her area of interest lies around US naval activities in the 20th century. She has been a co-compiler for the e-letter Tuesday Tidings published by the National Maritime Historical Society since 2023. She has also been the Website Director for the International Journal of Naval History since 2025. In her free time, Jessie loves to read, visit museums and historical sites, travel, and spend time with her family, friends, and dog, Roscoe.
Troy Hobbs
Troy L. Hobbs III is a first-year graduate student in the History Program with a concentration in American History. Hobbs was born and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Graduating from both Fayetteville Technical Community College and Fayetteville State University, respectively. After a year of substitute teaching in education, he followed his passion back into history with the goal of studying American History, within the specialties of diplomatic studies and museum curation. At Fayetteville State under the tutelage of Dr. Sidney Pash and Nicholle Young St. Leone; Hobbs completed his Undergraduate thesis on the relationship between FDR and Joseph Stalin, as well as demilitarization of Japan leading up to the end of its Imperial Regime. As well as working as an Archive Assistant at the UNCFSU Chesnutt Library. While in his undergraduate studies, Hobbs ascertained accolades including but not limited to Summa Cum Laude, UNCFSU History Student of the Year (‘25) and NC Community College Academic Excellent Student Award (‘23). Hobbs hopes after completing his degree, to attend a North Carolina doctoral program with hopes of becoming a museum curator and adjunct professor. In his free time, Hobbs spends it with his mother and sister, traveling and enjoying restaurants, sightseeing and museums, as well as cherishing moments with his family and friends.
Matthew Howell
Matthew Howell is an eastern North Carolina native from Wilmington and a graduate student at East Carolina University, where he studies American history. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Fayetteville State University, graduating summa cum laude, and previously worked in interpretation at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. His research interests include colonial and Civil War history, with particular attention to North Carolina and the cultural history of music in the American South.
Professionally, Matthew serves as Director of Operations for a large e-commerce firm in Wilmington. Active in the local history community, Matthew is Editor and Webmaster for the Cape Fear Civil War Round Table, where he also produces and writes for the organization’s monthly newsletter, The Runner. His broader interests include public history, historical writing, the outdoors, spending time with his wife and three children, and playing music.
Brylee Huber
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.
Dillon Huffman
Dillon is a graduate student in the Master of Arts in History program at East Carolina University. His research interests focus on Appalachian history, oral history, and the social and economic impacts of the Great Depression in Western North Carolina. Professionally, Dillon serves as the Public Information Officer for Haywood County, North Carolina, where he leads strategic communications, public engagement, and multimedia storytelling for county government.
He has extensive experience in public communication, crisis messaging, and community outreach. Before entering public service, Dillon worked in broadcast journalism and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Louisiana State University Alexandria. Dillon is a native of the Western NC mountains.
Josh Jakubs
Josh is studying the Maritime Cultural Landscape of tattooing and the introduction of new technologies. A specific focus is on the 19th century and the transition to electronic and magnetic equipment, the effect on popularity, design style and detail and general maritime culture both at home and abroad. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from the University of South Carolina and an Associates of Applied Science degree from Midlands Technical College.
As a tattoo artist he is also interested in the broader study of body modification in a global context. “I find the application of tattoo to be a unique, and once it begins, relaxing experience. Sometimes people who I have worked with have said it is a spiritual experience, and I can agree that it can be a spiritual experience if that is what you are seeking, or just a fun way to bring a travel home with you.”
Rebecca Kelley
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
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
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.
Owen Nance
My name is Owen Nance. I am twenty-one years old and from Eden, Rockingham County, North Carolina. I live with my loving parents and three siblings. I attended and graduated from my local Early College High School program and completed two years at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro (UNCG) to graduate with my High School Diploma, Associate’s Degree, and Bachelor’s Degree at an accelerated pace. With the intention to attend ECU in the fall, I applied for the Daughters of the American Revolution’s (DAR) special ‘America 250! Scholarship’ – in honor of 250 years of American Independence – for students of history with a 3.5 or higher GPA, and was one of ten – one of three from North Carolina – to receive the honor of a $25,000 scholarship award. I intend to combine my presented opportunities and love for the study of history to achieve academic success and personal development here at ECU, with the hopes of one day paying it all forward to teach to others my love of history.
Lio O’Shasky
Lio O’Shasky is a graduate student in the Maritime Studies program at East Carolina University. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he developed a fascination for human adaptation, migration, and the ways communities utilize and connect through waterways. His academic interests include Great Lakes maritime cultural landscapes and freshwater site formation, with a particular focus on coastline reconstruction and the potential it holds for understanding submerged landscapes.
Lio brings experience in museum education developing public programs and interactive exhibits. Through work with regional maritime archaeology and preservation groups, he has experience with archival research, remote-sensing methods, and site documentation, and hopes to make technical underwater archaeology accessible to public audiences. Outside of school, he enjoys painting, writing, collecting CDs, off-grid camping, and catching local concerts.
Liam O’Brien
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.
Hunter Pierce
Hunter Pierce is a first-semester graduate student in the Master of Arts in History program at East Carolina University. He earned both a Bachelor of Science in History Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Historical Studies from East Carolina University. During his undergraduate studies, he developed a strong interest in colonial American history, which continues to shape his graduate research. His current research focuses on American colonial folklore, particularly the ways folklore evolved across different regions and social classes in early America. He is interested in exploring how oral traditions, superstition, and popular belief reflected the cultural, social, and political experiences of colonial communities.
Professionally, Hunter serves as a full-time American history teacher at the Northeast Academy for Aerospace and Advanced Technology, where he attempts to inspire his students to dive into history in a meaningful way. In recognition of his academic achievement and dedication to the teaching profession, he was named the East Carolina University College of Education Student of the Year in 2025.
Alexandria Price
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
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
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.
Brandi Spriggs
Brandi Spriggs is a first-year graduate student in the History M.A. program with a concentration in Public History. A nontraditional student, she graduated summa cum laude from Fayetteville State University with a B.A. in English and a minor in Communication & Media Studies, where she was also inducted into the Sigma Tau Delta English honor society. Brandi brings a unique perspective to ECU, combining her academic background with over a decade of independent genealogical and historical research focused on African American families and communities in North Carolina. As the founder of Coiled Connections Genealogy, she has dedicated years to helping individuals reconnect with their lineage. Her academic and professional interests center on community-based public history, archival research, oral history, and the preservation of overlooked Black Southern narratives. During her time at ECU, she looks forward to contributing to museum, archival, and historic preservation projects that restore marginalized voices to local history.
Beyond her academic pursuits, Brandi is deeply engaged in the community, holding a proud 24-year membership in Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. She is also active in the arts as a community theater performer. A passionate advocate for lifelong learning, she balances her research with a variety of personal interests, including reading, listening to audiobooks, grilling, and running. Brandi resides in North Carolina, where she enjoys spending time with her husband and their blended family.
Tim Stumpf
Tim Stumpf is an incoming master’s student in Maritime Studies. He hails from Buckhorn, Ontario, Canada, and completed a joint BA (Hons) in Archaeology and History from Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. His historical interests primarily centre on the military and social histories of the Colonial through Post-Confederation periods in British North America, particularly from the 18th to early 20th centuries. Within archaeology, Tim’s interests tend to focus on landscapes and seascapes, the cultures and peoples of the Circumpolar North, and archaeological theory and methods. His experience spans public history, marine industries, and archaeology. He has worked as a costumed mid-19th century historical interpreter at living history museums and spent a dozen years as a crew member aboard a tall ship, plying the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence and the Canadian Maritime coasts, including voyages in the Labrador Sea and circumnavigating Newfoundland. For the past two summer seasons, he has worked as an archaeological field technician for Matrix Heritage, a Canadian CRM company owned and operated by an ECU Maritime Studies alum. Drawing on these experiences, Tim’s research interests centre on maritime seascapes, specifically how maritime cultures perceive and interact with an ever-changing seascape. When he doesn’t have his head in a book or his focus isn’t occupied with gaming and model-building, Tim can be found hiking around town or trying a new trail, or exploring museums.
Alissa Thompson
Alissa Thompson received her Bachelor of Arts in History from East Carolina University in May 2026 and is currently pursuing dual graduate degrees: a Master of Arts in History with a concentration in Public History and a Master of Library Science with a concentration in Archives and Cultural Heritage Informatics. Her professional interests include archives management, museum curation, and public engagement with history. In addition to working full time as a nonprofit grant writer, she serves as a graduate assistant in ECU’s University History and Records Department. Alissa is the 2026-2027 president of the Lambda Eta chapter of Phi Alpha Theta.
Cole Von Roeder
Cole is a graduate student in the Maritime Studies program. Raised in Arizona, he joined the Army and served 12 years in the Infantry where got the opportunity to visit various historical sites around the world. The most memorable sites seen was Babylon during his first deployment to Iraq, and a still occupied fort built by Alexander the Great while deployed in Afghanistan as well. These visits inspired him to pursue history and archaeology as a career where Cole completed his undergraduate school at Arizona State University to where he earned dual Bachelor of Arts degree in History and in Anthropology. During his career he has always endeavored to enter a Maritime program, and transition from terrestrial, into maritime archaeology. Cole has been trained in the American Southwest for the last 7 years working in Cultural Resources Management (CRM). His research interests are the Bronze Age Collapse, and whether culture affects technology, or if technology affects culture.
Kelly Welton
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.
Kaylee Williams
Kaylee Williams is a first-year, non-traditional graduate student in the ECU Maritime Studies Program. She earned a B.A. in Anthropology and History from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville in 2020. She grew up in Baytown, TX prior to moving to Arkansas, where she’s resided for the past 20 years. Her focus is 19th century piracy in the southeastern US along the Texas coastline and Trinity Bay waterways, which was inspired by research she conducted on her family’s longstanding history in the region and their connection to Jean Lafitte’s smuggling operations. Since graduation from the University of Arkansas, Kaylee has worked for the past six years as a professional Archaeologist in Cultural Resource Management. Her work has spanned primarily across the southeastern US and Alaska. During her career, she has held leadership positions, become proficient in artifact identification, and gained extensive experience in excavating pre-historic and historic sites.
Ethan Whiten
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
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.