I was born on a U.S. Air Force base in Okinawa, Japan. I moved to NW Arkansas when I was six and spent most of my earlier life there. I graduated in 2003 with a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Arkansas Fayetteville. While at the U of A, I studied both Historical Archaeology and Forensic Archaeology. I developed my interest in Historical Archaeology while working at the Arkansas Archaeological Survey in Fayetteville, AR and through the many short digs I worked at through the U of A and the Survey. My specific interest in Industrial Archaeology started when I worked with a group at the Van Winkle Mill site near Rogers, AR.