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Christopher C. Fennell

Visiting Faculty

Christopher C. Fennell

Visiting Professor of Law

Biography

Chris Fennell is a Professor of Anthropology and Law at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has been appointed a University Scholar in recognition of excellence in his research, scholarship, and teaching. Fennell has conducted archaeological investigations at 19th century sites in Illinois, Virginia, and South Carolina with grant support by the National Science Foundation and National Endowment for the Humanities. After clerking for the Honorable Jane R. Roth (D. Del./3d Circuit), he was a practicing attorney for several years in Washington, DC in the areas of antitrust, contracts, product liability, torts, false claims, and securities disputes.

He offers law school courses on anthropology, social norms, and the dynamics of racism, as well as archaeology courses for undergraduate and graduate students, and has received a number of awards for teaching excellence.

Professor Fennell served as an officer and director for professional societies focused on archaeology and for the Collaborative for Cultural Heritage Management and Policy. He is founding editor of the peer-reviewed Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage (Taylor & Francis) and Restorative Justice in Heritage Studies and Archaeology book series (Routledge). Fennell’s work on the New Philadelphia, Illinois Archaeology Project contributed to the creation of the nation’s 424th National Park in 2022.

His publications include the book Crossroads and Cosmologies: Diasporas and Ethnogenesis in the New World (2007), for which he received the 2009 John Cotter award from the Society for Historical Archaeology and the 2010 Gustave Arlt award from the Council for Graduate Schools for outstanding contributions to the humanities. Fennell’s latest books are Broken Chains and Subverted Plans: Ethnicity, Race, and Commodities (2017), The Archaeology of Craft and Industry (2021), and Grappling with Monuments of Oppression: Moving from Analysis to Activism (2024).

Education and Experience

Education

University of Virginia

PhD in anthropology, 2003
MA in anthropology, 2000

Georgetown University Law Center

JD, 1989

University of Pennsylvania

MA in American civilization, 1986

Teaching Experience

The University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Professor of Anthropology and Law, 2018-present
Associate Professor of Anthropology and Law, 2010-2018
Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Head of Anthropology, 2010-2013
Assistant Professor of Anthropology, 2004-2010

The University of Chicago Law School

Visiting Professor of Law, 2018-present
Visiting Associate Professor of Law, 2010; 2013-2018

Interdisciplinary Center University (IDC), Herzliya, Israel

Visiting Associate Professor of Law, Dec. 2012

University of Texas School of Law

Adjunct Professor of Law and Senior Research Fellow, 2003-2004

Texas State University

Lecturer, Department of Anthropology, Fall 2003

Roosevelt University

Instructor, School of Policy Studies, Spring 2001

University of Virginia

Instructor, Department of Anthropology, Summer 1999 and Summer 2000

Professional & Research Experience

Society for Industrial Archaeology

Member, Board of Directors, 2023-2026

Global Council for Anthropological Linguistics, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

Member, Scientific Committee, 2024 

Register of Professional Archaeologists

Chair, Nominating Committee, 2023

Coalition for Archaeological Synthesis

Member of Board of Directors, 2021-2023
Chair, Committee for Grant Award Selections, 2022

Illinois Archaeological Survey

President, 2018-2019
President-elect, 2016-2017

Society for Historical Archaeology

Nominee, Presidential Election, 2017
Chair, Development Committee, 2015-present
Member of the Board of Directors, 2012-2015

University of Illinois

Archaeology of Edgefield, South Carolina Pottery Communities, Archaeology Project Co-Director, 2009-present
New Philadelphia Archaeology Project, Archaeology Project Co-Director, 2008-present
Collaborative for Cultural Heritage Management and Policy, 2009-present.
New Philadelphia Archaeology Project, Aerial Thermal Survey Research, 2007-2008
New Philadelphia Archaeology Project, Archaeology Project Co-Director, 2004-2006

Illinois State Museum

Adjunct Research Associate in Anthropology, 2008-2009

University of Virginia

Loudoun Valley Archaeology Project, Archaeology Project Director, 1997-2003

Work Experience

Texas Civil Rights Project

Volunteer, 2002

D.C. Superior Court, Multidoor Dispute Resolution Division

Court-appointed Mediator, Washington, DC, 1995-1997

Crowell & Moring

Associate Attorney, 1991-1997

Dechert, Price & Rhoads

Associate Attorney, 1990-1991

Honorable Jane R. Roth

Judicial Clerk, 1989-1990

Presentations
  • “Dragons in America (Updated): Industry and Innovation in Edgefield, South Carolina,” paper presented May 18, 2024, at the Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial Archaeology, Minneapolis.
  • “Teaching Global Diasporas,” panelist in forum discussion convened by the UIUC Global Diasporas Program, April 20, 2023, Urbana, Illinois.
  • “Archaeological Exploration of Material Production,” invited interview and talk, Preservation Technology Podcast, National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, National Park Service, Washington, DC, December 6, 2022
  • “New Philadelphia, Illinois: From Archaeology Project to National Historic Landmark,” invited lecture presented to the South Suburban Archaeological Society, February 17, 2022, Homewood, Illinois, and scheduled to be presented to the Chicago Archaeological Society, September 25, 2022, Evanston, Illinois.
  • “Anti-racism Strategies and African Diaspora Experiences in the American Midwest,” invited lecture presented in the Durham University Archaeology Research Seminars, October 13, 2021, Durham, UK.
  • “Archaeology, Civic Engagement, and Interdisciplinary Data at New Philadelphia, Illinois,” invited lecture presented to the Archaeological Institute of America Chicago Society, November 18, 2020.
  • “Resilience and Racism in a 19th Century American Heartland: New Philadelphia and the Vagaries of Prejudice,” invited paper presented at a symposium entitled “Revealing Communities: The Archaeology of Free African Americans in the Nineteenth Century,” Bard Graduate Center, New York City, February 7, 2020.
  • “Interdisciplinary Approaches to Investigating African Diaspora Histories,” invited paper presented at the Jacob M. Alkow Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Culture, Tel Aviv University, Israel, December 30, 2019.
  • “Dragons in America: Industry and Innovation in Edgefield, South Carolina,” paper presented June 8, 2019 at the Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial Archaeology, Chicago.
  • “Developments in African Diaspora Archaeology: Innovation, Industry, and African-American Heritage in Edgefield, South Carolina,” presented November 12, 2018, Department of Anthropology, Washington University, St. Louis.
  • “Interdisciplinary Approaches to Investigating African Diaspora Histories,” invited paper presented March 15, 2018, Department of Anthropology, Universidad de Chile, Santiago de Chile; October 5, 2018, Department of Anthropology, Temple University, Philadelphia.
  • Symposium discussant in “Seeing Ethnicity? Parsing Hybridity, Creolization and Ethnogenesis in the Archaeological Record,” January 6, 2018, at the 51st Annual Conference of the Society for Historical Archaeology, New Orleans.
  • “Pulpits and Bones: African-American Vistas of Action, Innovation, and Traditions,” paper presented in a symposium entitled “Religious Communities, Religious Landscapes,” January 5, 2018, at the 51st Annual Conference of the Society for Historical Archaeology, New Orleans, and at the 61st Annual Meeting of the Illinois Archaeological Survey, September 16, 2017, Carbondale, IL.
  • Forum discussant in “Confronting Structural Racism,” January 5, 2018, at the 51st Annual Conference of the Society for Historical Archaeology, New Orleans.
  • “Challenging Racism and Gender Bias,” invited presentation to the Black Law Students Association, University of Chicago School of Law, presented October 5, 2017, Chicago.
  • “Next Parish America: Tradition and Modernity on Great Blasket Island,” in the Global Irish Diaspora Congress, presented August 16, 2017, University College Dublin, Ireland.
  • “New Philadelphia National Historic Landmark: Tradition, Creativity, and Archaeology,” in the Marvin J and Thomas Leo Likes Memorial Lecture Series, hosted by the New Philadelphia Association, June 20, 2017, Kinderhook, Illinois.
  • “Teaching about Racism,” forum panelist, University of Chicago School of Law, January 30, 2017, Chicago.
  • “Interdisciplinary Approaches to Investigating African Diaspora History,” invited paper presented for Instituto de Arte Americano e Investigaciones Esteticas, Patrimonio e Instituto Historico de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, and Urbania: Revista Latinoamericana de Arqueología e Historia de las Ciudades, March 11, 2016, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  • Forum panelist for “Catching Up With Caches: The Latest on African Diasporic Spirit Practices in the Archaeological Record,” at the 49th Conference of the Society of Historical Archaeology, presented January 7, 2016, Washington, DC.
  • “Commemorating African America and Confronting White Privilege: 100 Years of National Challenges,” invited paper presented Jan. 6, 2016, in the Plenary Session of the 49th Conference of the Society of Historical Archaeology, Washington, DC.
  • “New Philadelphia, Illinois: From Research Project to National Historic Landmark,” paper presented Nov. 5, 2015, at the Midwest Archaeological Conference, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
  • “Tradition and Modernity on Great Blasket Island, Ireland,” invited paper presented Oct. 7, 2015, to the Archaeology Division of the Vienna Museum, Austria.
  • “Atlantic Traverses, Contrastive Illuminations,” paper presented in a symposium entitled “Making Waves: A Celebration of the Scholarship of Marley R. Brown III,” at the 48th Conference of the Society of Historical Archaeology, January 9, 2015, Seattle, Washington.
  • Forum panelist for “Recruitment and Retention of Underrepresented Minorities in Anthropology Programs,” at the 48th Conference of the Society of Historical Archaeology, January 8, 2015, Seattle, Washington.
  • Forum panelist for “Ethics in Historical Archaeology,” at the 48th Conference of the Society of Historical Archaeology, January 8, 2015, Seattle, Washington.
  • “Nationalism, Romance, and Realities on Great Blasket Island, Ireland,” invited paper presented to the Department of Anthropology, College of William and Mary, October 23, 2014, Williamsburg, Virginia.
  • “Paradoxes in Designs for a National Historic Landmark's Presentation,” invited paper (with Kathryn Fay) presented at the Tenth Annual Midwest Historical Archaeology Conference, September 27, 2014, Niles, Michigan.
  • “Interdisciplinary Investigations in African Diaspora Archaeology,” invited lecture presented at the Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado, September 5, 2014, Boulder, Colorado.
  • “Racism and Archaeology,” paper presented in the Theoretical Archaeology Group Conference, May 24, 2014, Urbana, Illinois.
  • “NAGPRA and Undisplaying the Indigenous Dead,” paper presented in The Controversial Dead: A Colloquium, annual conference of the Collaborative for Cultural Heritage Management and Policy, May 1, 2014, Urbana, Illinois.
  • “Tradition and Modernity on Great Blasket Island, Ireland,” paper presented in a session entitled Medieval and Postmedieval Europe, April 24, 2014, at the Society for American Archaeology's 79th Annual Meeting, Austin, Texas.
  • “Dragons in America: Industry and Innovation in Edgefield, South Carolina,” invited keynote presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Middle Atlantic Archaeology Conference, presented March 14, 2014, Langhorne, Pennsylvania.
  • “Archaeology and Kongo Legacies in the Americas,” invited paper presented in a colloquium entitled Kongo Atlantic Dialogues: Kongo Culture in Central Africa and in the Americas, the 2014 Gwendolen M. Carter Conference, February 21, 2014, Center for African Studies, University of Florida, Gainesville.
  • Invited panel discussant in a forum entitled A Question that Counts: Why Is Achieving Diversity and Confronting Racism in the SHA Important for the Future of Our Organization, Profession, and Theoretical Understanding of the Past, Present, and Future? at the Annual Conference of the Society for Historical Archaeology, Jan. 11, 2014, Quebec City, Canada.
  • Invited discussant for a symposium entitled Theorizing the African Diaspora Archaeology, at the Annual Conference of the Society for Historical Archaeology, Jan. 10, 2014, Quebec City, Canada.
  • Chair and Organizer of symposium entitled Good Questions Met by Archaeological Revelations, at the Annual Conference of the Society for Historical Archaeology, Jan. 10, 2014, Quebec City, Canada.
  • “Confronting a Dragon’s Offspring in the Americas,” paper presented, with George W. Calfas, in a symposium entitled Good Questions Met by Archaeological Revelations, at the Annual Conference of the Society for Historical Archaeology, Jan. 10, 2014, Quebec City, Canada.
  • “From the Palatinate to Virginia: European Ethnicities Created in America,” paper presented in the Annual Conference of the Council for Northeast Historical Archaeology and the 375th Anniversary New Sweden Conference, in a symposium entitled Continuity, Change, and an Evolving Identity: German-Speakers in Colonial and Early American Contexts, Nov. 9, 2013, Newark, Delaware; and presented at the American Anthropological Association Annual Conference, in a symposium entitled Bodies in Motion: Making a Place for Archaeological Migration, November 22, 2013, Chicago.
  • “Trans-Atlantic Entanglements and Cultural Transformations,” paper presented in a symposium entitled Archaeology of Africa and Diaspora Community Formation in the Society for American Archaeology Annual Conference, April 5, 2013, Honolulu, Hawaii.
  • “Innovation, Industry, and African-American Heritage in Edgefield, South Carolina,” invited lecture presented at the Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, February 1, 2013.
  • Invited panel discussant in a forum entitled Diversity, Antiracism, and the Future of SHA, convened at the Annual Conference of the Society for Historical Archaeology, Leicester, UK, January 12, 2013.
  • “Individual Creativity, Instrumental Symbolism, and the Constituents of Social Identity Construction,” paper presented in a symposium entitled Reconsidering Archaeologies of Creativity, Annual Conference of the Society for Historical Archaeology, Leicester, UK, January 10, 2013.
  • “Trans-Atlantic Entanglements, Diasporas, and Archaeological Insights,” invited lecture presented December 24, 2012, to the Nadler Institute of Archaeology and the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near East, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
  • “Communicating Archaeology at New Philadelphia,” with Terrance J. Martin and Anna Agbe-Davies, paper presented at the 58th Annual Midwest Archaeological Conference, East Lansing, Michigan, October 18-20, 2012.
  • “A Dragon Kiln in the Americas: 19th Century Innovations in Edgefield, South Carolina,” invited lecture presented at the Department of Anthropology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, October 12, 2012, and presented in the Archaeology Workshop program, Department of Anthropology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, March 5, 2013.
  • Co-organizer of “Archaeological Insights and Civic Engagement: Learning from Midwest Historical Sites,” the 2012 Midwest Historical Archaeology Conference, in Urbana, Illinois, October 5-6, 2012.
  • “New Philadelphia Archaeology: The First Ten Years,” with Terrance J. Martin, paper presented in “Archaeological Insights and Civic Engagement: Learning from Midwest Historical Sites,” the 2012 Midwest Historical Archaeology Conference, in Urbana, Illinois, October 6, 2012.
  • “Tangibility and Significance: Paradoxes in Designs for a National Historic Landmark's Presentation,” paper presented at the Illinois Archaeological Survey's Annual Conference, Urbana, Illinois, September 8, 2012.
  • “African Diaspora Archaeology and Interdisciplinary Challenges,” invited lecture presented to the Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, South Africa, August 13, 2012.
  • “Racism and Resilience in a 19th Century American Heartland: New Philadelphia and the Vagaries of Prejudice,” invited paper presented in the South African Contemporary History and Humanities Seminars program, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa, August 7, 2012, and presented in the interdisciplinary roundtable program IDC Law and Culture Series: Margins and Minorities, at the Radzyner School of Law, Interdisciplinary Center University (IDC) Herzliya, Israel, December 27, 2012.
  • “From Dragon Kilns in China to Early Industry in South Carolina,” invited lecture presented at the Department of Anthropology, National University of Taiwan, Taipei, Taiwan, June 15, 2012.
  • “Multidisciplinary Approaches to African Diaspora Studies,” invited lecture presented at the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, June 15, 2012.
  • “Using the Digital Archaeological Record (tDAR) for Management, Research, and Education,” discussant for forum convened at the 77th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, April 22, 2012, Memphis, Tennessee.
  • “Spatial Variables and 19th Century Pottery Communities in Edgefield, South Carolina,” paper presented in a symposium entitled Prehistory and History of Interaction in the Carolinas, at the 77th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, April 20, 2012, Memphis, Tennessee.
  • “Fighting Despair,” discussant presentation at a conference entitled The Archaeology of Slavery: Toward a Comparative, Global Framework, March 31, 2012, at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois.
  • “Multiscalar Analysis of Racism's Impacts on New Philadelphia, Illinois, a 19th Century Integrated Town,” invited lecture presented March 22, 2012, to the Department of Anthropology, Syracuse University, New York.
  • “Diverse Methods and Landscape Analyses at the New Philadelphia National Historic Landmark,” paper presented (with Jamie Arjona) in symposium entitled Knowledge Woven of Many Threads: Interdisciplinary Investigations at the National Historic Landmark Site of New Philadelphia, Illinois, convened at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology, January 6, 2012, Baltimore, Maryland.
  • “Manifestations of Magic: The Archaeology and Material Culture of Magic and Folk Belief,” discussant for symposium convened at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology, January 5, 2012, Baltimore, Maryland.
  • “Examining Structural Racism in the Jim Crow Era of Illinois,” paper presented in symposium entitled The Materiality of Freedom: Archaeologies of the Recent African American Past, convened at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology, January 5, 2012, Baltimore, Maryland.

Additional Activities

Memberships and Professional Affiliations

  • American Anthropological Association
  • Association for Industrial Archaeology
  • Coalition for American Heritage
  • Coalition for Archaeological Synthesis
  • Register of Professional Archaeologists
  • Society for American Archaeology
  • Society for Historical Archaeology
  • Society for Industrial Archaeology
  • Society of Africanist Archaeologists
  • World Heritage USA (ICOMOS USA)
  • African Diaspora Archaeology Network
  • Illinois Archaeological Survey
  • Past member (retired) of the bars of state and federal courts in the District of Columbia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the US Supreme Court.

Awards and Honors

  • Daniel G. Roberts Award for Excellence in Public Historical Archaeology recipient, 2020, for “commitment to public scholarship” and “anti-racism scholarship and education in historical archaeology,” awarded by the Society for Historical Archaeology
  • University of Illinois, Research Board Grant, Humanities Release Time, 2016-2017, for a project entitled “Archaeology of Edgefield, South Carolina Pottery Communities.”
  • University Scholar, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 2014-2017, honor and funding enhancement in recognition of excellence in research, scholarship, and teaching.
  • Campus Award for Excellence in Guiding Undergraduate Research, nominee, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 2015, nominated for this award by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
  • Gender and Minority Affairs Diversity Field School Competition Award, Society for Historical Archaeology, Second Place Award (with Jamie Arjona and Tatiana Niculescu) for advancing diversity in the sciences through the 2013 Archaeology of Edgefield, South Carolina Pottery Communities Field School.
  • Award for Distinguished Service 2012-2013, Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
  • Cultural Creativity, History & Heritage in Edgefield, South Carolina, Speaker Series, 2013, as Project Director, supported by a grant from the Humanities Council of South Carolina and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
  • Archaeological and Historical Examination of a Nationalist Mythology of an Authentic Irish Past, 2013, as Principal Investigator, awarded by the University of Illinois Research Board.
  • Memory and Heart: Pasts and Presents of African American Communities, Speaker Series, 2011, as Project Director, supported by a grant from the Illinois Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Illinois General Assembly.
  • New Philadelphia Archaeology and the Digital Archaeological Record, 2011, as Principal Investigator, awarded by the Digital Antiquity initiative.
  • Gustave O. Arlt Award recipient, 2010, for outstanding contribution to scholarship in the humanities, awarded by the Council for Graduate Schools.
  • LiDAR and Archaeological Analysis of the Pottersville, SC Production and Village Site, 2010-2011, as Principal Investigator, for Edgefield, SC Archaeology Project, awarded by the University of Illinois Research Board.
  • LiDAR and Archaeological Analysis of the New Philadelphia National Historic Landmark, 2010-2011, as Principal Investigator, for New Philadelphia Archaeology Project.
  • Community Informatics Initiative, 2010-2011, as Principal Investigator, in a project concerning civic engagement among researchers and local and descendant communities of Brooklyn, Illinois.
  • John L. Cotter Award recipient, 2009, for outstanding scholarly achievement in African diaspora studies, awarded by the Society for Historical Archaeology.
  • Community Engagement with Lincoln's Legacies, Speaker Series, 2009, as Project Director, supported by a grant from the Illinois Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Illinois General Assembly.
  • National Science Foundation, Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program Grant, 2008-2012, as Principal Investigator and co-Principal Archaeologist with Anna Agbe-Davies (DePaul U.) and Terrance Martin (Illinois State Museum), conducting archaeological investigations and NSF funded field schools at nineteenth century town site of New Philadelphia, Illinois.
  • Community Informatics Initiative, 2008-2010, as Principal Investigator, in a project concerning civic engagement among researchers and local and descendant communities of New Philadelphia, Illinois.
  • African-American Heritage in the Midwest, Speaker Series, 2008, as Project Director, supported by a grant from the Illinois Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Illinois General Assembly.
  • National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, 2007-2010, as Principal Investigator and co-Principal Archaeologist, with Tommy Hailey (Northwestern State University) and Bryan Haley (U. Mississippi), conducting low-altitude high resolution thermal survey at nineteenth century town site of New Philadelphia, Illinois.
  • Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Faculty Fellowship, 2006-2007, to conduct interdisciplinary work in the humanities, focusing on nineteenth century history in the midwest region.
  • National Science Foundation, Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program Grant, 2004-2006, as co-Principal Archaeologist with Paul Shackel (U. Maryland) and Terrance Martin (Illinois State Museum), conducting archaeological investigations and NSF funded field schools at nineteenth century town site of New Philadelphia, Illinois.
  • University of Illinois, Research Board Grants, 2004-2010, supporting archaeological and historical research projects concerning African diaspora subjects and social histories of nineteenth century communities of New Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and Equal Rights in Illinois, and the Edgefield pottery district of South Carolina.
  • University of Illinois, included in List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent for thirteen courses, Fall 2004, Fall 2007, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Fall 2012, Fall 2015, Fall 2017, Fall 2018, and Fall 2019.
  • Voted Outstanding Anthropology Faculty member by the Undergraduate Anthropology Students Association, 2004-2005.
  • West Virginia Humanities Council Grants, 2000-2001, 2002-2003, from state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, supporting continuing archival research as part of an historical archaeology study of St. Peter's Church and School House sites, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
  • DuPont Fellowship, 2001-2002, University of Virginia, Department of Anthropology, supporting write-up of doctoral dissertation.
  • Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Research Fellowship, 2000, supporting study of aspects of Virginia economic history in the 18th and 19th centuries, utilizing resources of the Virginia Historical Society.
  • Governor's Fellowship, 1997-2000, University of Virginia, Department of Anthropology, supporting doctoral studies.
  • American Jurisprudence Awards, 1988, 1989, for Antitrust and Employment Discrimination courses, Georgetown University Law Center.

Editorial Work

  • Founding Editor, Restorative Justice in Heritage Studies and Archaeology Book Series (2022-present)
  • Founding Editor, Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage (2011-present)
  • Editorial Board Member, International Journal of Historical Archaeology (2005-present)
  • Editorial Board Member, Slavery: Past and Present book series, Cambria Press (2012-present)
  • Editor, African Diaspora Archaeology Network and Newsletter (2005-present)
  • Grant and Nomination Proposal Referee: University of Illinois Research Board grants program; National Science Foundation's Doctoral Dissertation Improvement grant program; Fulbright Interview and Evaluation Committee to judge graduate and professional student applications for Fulbright awards; Icelandic Research Fund program, Icelandic Centre for Research; Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal; Israel Science Foundation; 6 and National Park Service.
  • Referee, American Anthropologist; International Journal of Historical Archaeology; Historical Archaeology; Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology; Northeast Historical Archaeology; Atlantic Studies; University Press of Florida; University of Illinois Press; MIT Press; Rowman and Littlefield Press; and Oxford University Press.
  • Editor, Plymouth Colony Archive Project (1998-present)