AAHA is a Registered Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (WBE/DBE) in:

Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia

AAHA is a woman-owned, SBA 8(a), and DBE certified business that provides a wide range of cultural resources management services in the Mid-Atlantic and beyond. Our service platform offers our clients access to a wide range of expertise in cultural and heritage resource management. For 25 years, we have developed strong relationships with a broad spectrum of private, commercial, municipal, and non-profit partners.

Cultural resources compliance is often driven by laws and regulations (local, state, and federal) that mandate consideration of cultural resources prior to development. Often, our clients are encountering these compliance mandates for the first time or in unfamiliar jurisdictions. The AAHA team prides itself on guiding our clients through these sometimes-challenging situations with personalized and professional service. This allows us to identify, manage, and mitigate impacts to cultural resources within the framework of your project while minimizing delays and unnecessary costs.

As partners with numerous regional and national cultural resources advocacy organizations, including the American Cultural Resources Association (ACRA), the Society for American Aniquity  (SAA), the Society for Historical Archeology (SHA), the Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA), the Council for Northeast Historic Archaeology (CNEHA), the Council for Maryland Archaeology (CfMA), the Mid-Atlantic Archaeological Society, the Archaeological Society of Maryland (ASM), the Archaeological Society of Virginia (ASV), and many others, AAHA integrates emerging best practices of the industry while remaining committed to connecting communities to their cultural heritage in a responsible and pragmatic manner.

To learn more about how our team can deliver your project on time, on budget, and on focus, please visit our Services pages or contact us directly at info@aahainc.com or by phone at 410-224-3402.

MEET THE TEAM

AAHA is staffed with expert consultants that will ensure timely and cost-effective completion of every project. Our staff features subject matter experts in archaeology, historic architecture, historic preservation and planning, environmental assessments (EAs), Environmental Impact Statements (EISs), historic property and deed research, project scoping and management, and archaeological laboratory procedures and analysis. In addition to our core in-house staff, AAHA has developed an extensive network of other industry specialists in geophysical survey and analysis, paleobotony, zooarchaeology, dendrochronology, and historic structural evaluation and restoration.

Please visit the AAHA staff descriptions to learn about the team of skilled professionals who you can put to work for your project!

Join Our Team

STAFF

Jeanne A. Ward

President and Principal
Archaeologist

Ms. Ward founded AAHA in 1998 and is an archaeologist and cultural resources management consultant with over 30 years experience. Her academic credentials include a B.A. in anthropology from the University of Georgia and an M.A. in anthropology/archaeology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her experience encompasses both historic and prehistoric archaeology, and has included investigations ranging from Phase I site location/identification surveys, Phase II evaluations of site significance, through large scale data recovery excavations.

Ms. Ward’s professional qualifications exceed all U. S. Department of the Interior criteria for a professional archaeologist working in cultural resources management (36 CFR 61). In addition, she is a member of the Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA).

Patrick Walters

Director of Cultural Resources

Patrick Walters is the Director of Cultural Resources for AAHA and has designed and directed surveys and excavations of historic and prehistoric archaeological resources in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast since 1999. As a professional in the field of cultural resources management, Mr. Walters has served as Project Archaeologist on many cultural resources studies throughout the Mid-Atlantic. He has acted in a management role in coordination with multiple state and federal agencies, and in coordination of public outreach programs on behalf of municipalities for stewardship of NRHP properties.

Mr. Walters has a broad knowledge of cultural resource management principles and practices, archaeological survey, evaluation, and data recovery methodologies, and presentation of research results within federal and state agency, academic, and public sector frameworks. He has extensive experience on Maryland CRM projects including Phase I, II, and III terrestrial excavation, research, technical reports, and prehistoric and historic artifact analysis.

Jasmine Gollup

Laboratory Director

Jasmine Gollup is the AAHA Laboratory Director and has been a professional archaeologist since 2010. She received her B.A in Sociology/Anthropology and History from Elizabethtown College and her M.A. in Archaeology with a minor in American Indian Studies from Cornell University. Ms. Gollup has experience conducting archaeological excavations and processing cultural material for state and local agencies throughout the Northeast, historic research, report writing, and public outreach.

In addition, she has extensive experience working with historic and precontact period artifacts from Phase I, II, and III projects. Ms. Gollup oversees the processing of collections at AAHA ensuring the collections meet state or federal curation guidelines. Ms. Gollup meets the professional qualifications of the U.S. Department of the Interior criteria for archaeologists and historians and is a member of the Register of Professional Archaeologists.

Emily Masters

Project Archaeologist

Emily Masters is a Project Archaeologist for AAHA. She has been working in cultural resource management in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions since 2014. She received her B.A. in Anthropology from West Chester University of Pennsylvania and went on to receive an M.A. in Applied Archaeology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Emily began her career as a Field Technician, traveling throughout the Eastern United States to gain a broad knowledge of archaeological survey practices in a wide range of environments. She has been directing archaeological fieldwork since 2018 and has been a contributing or co-author on over 60 technical reports, including archaeological monitoring projects, Phase IA, IB, and II archaeological surveys. Her expertise lies in field survey and resource evaluation, and she has experience excavating and analyzing cultural material from historic and precontact period sites in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Ms. Masters has extensive experience in using GPS and GIS technologies in planning, executing, and analysis of archaeological survey and research. Ms. Masters’ professional qualifications meet the U.S. Department of the Interior criteria for archaeologists and she is a member of the Register of Professional Archaeologists.

Celia Engel

Architectural Historian

Celia Engel is an Architectural Historian, researcher, and technical writer at AAHA. She has been working in cultural resource management since 2018 and in architectural history since 2022. She received her B.A. in Anthropology from Towson university and her M.A. in Historic Preservation from the University of Maryland, College Park. Ms. Engel’s experience ranges from privately funded research projects to compliance surveys for both state and federal agencies. She excels in the collection of historic materials required for the preparation of background documentation. Her documentation has informed the recordation of multiple properties on the Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties, Virginia Cultural Resources Information Systems, and the National Register of Historic Places.

Kristen Browne

Project Archaeologist

Kristen Browne is a Project Archaeologist at AAHA with professional experience in cultural resource management and research archaeology in the Mid-Atlantic region since 2017. She holds an Associate of Arts from the Community College of Baltimore County (2014) and a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology from Towson University (2016). In 2024, she completed a Master of Arts in Anthropology with a concentration in Bioarchaeology at George Mason University.

Kristen has played a key role in the preservation of cultural resources by contributing to and leading Phase I, II, and III archaeological investigations, and by preparing detailed technical reports. Her experience spans a range of projects—from privately funded research to compliance-driven surveys for state and federal agencies. She has conducted archaeological excavations and historic research for public and private institutions at the state and local levels.
Her academic and professional interests focus on the biological and cultural impacts of colonialism in the Chesapeake Bay region. Beyond archaeology, Kristen is also training to become a full-spectrum doula, advocating for reproductive justice and working to address the disparities in Black infant and maternal health outcomes.

Justin Warrenfeltz

Project Archaeologist

Justin Warrenfeltz has been a Project Archaeologist with AAHA since 2025 and a cultural resource professional since 2010. His experiences in cultural resource management include projects in the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Northeast, Midwest and West regions. He received his B.A. in Anthropology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and his M.A. in Historical Archaeology from University of Massachusetts Boston.

Justin began his cultural resource career working as a Field Technician for Historic St. Mary’s City, where he worked for several years on a long-term construction mitigation project. After attending and graduating from University of Massachusetts Boston, he worked as a Field Technician and eventually as a Field Director and Project Archaeologist for several cultural resource management firms on Phase I, II, and III projects in Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, DC, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, and California. He has been directing archaeological fieldwork since 2017 and has been co-author or contributing author on over 70 technical reports for a variety of project types. His expertise is in historical archaeology and historic resource evaluation. He has extensive experience excavating myriad site types in many different environments, identifying and analyzing a wide variety of historic and precontact material culture, and managing complex field projects with over a dozen field staff. Mr. Warrenfeltz’s professional qualifications meet the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Standards for archaeology. He is a member of the Register of Professional Archaeologists.

Emily Rux

Field Director

Emily Rux is a Crew Chief for AAHA. She received her B.S. in Anthropology with a concentration in Public Archaeology from Bridgewater State University. Mrs. Rux has worked with private institutions, in public outreach and in cultural resource management along the east coast, the mid-west and Alaska. She has experience curating archaeological collections as well as conducting phases I, II and III excavations.

Dylan Howes

Crew Chief

Mr. Howes has been working as a field and lab technician since 2016. He earned his B.A in Cultural Anthropology from California State University of Monterey Bay. He has taken part in phase 1, phase 2, and construction monitoring projects in California, Arizona, and the greater DMV region. He also has experience with archaeological lab work and report writing. When not working he is either hiking, cooking, or playing Dungeons and Dragons.

Emely Espinoza

Crew Chief

Emely Espinoza is a field technician with AAHA since 2022, who has recently been promoted to Crew Chief with experience in archaeological lab work with four years of CRM experience. She received her B.A. in Anthropology with a minor in English from Towson University. She has taken part in various phase I projects throughout the South, Midwest, and East, including the greater DMV area. Additionally, she also has experience in conducting phases II and III excavations. When not in the field, she enjoys dancing, watching horror films, and playing retro video games.

Molly Donatelli

Field Technician

Molly Donatelli is a Field Technician for AAHA. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Franklin & Marshall College in 2023. Ms. Donatelli has assisted on an array of Phase I, II, and III projects in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington D.C. In addition, she has experience performing archaeological lab work with precontact and historic period artifacts, as well as assisting with the completion of technical reports. She has worked for a wide array of different firms and their clients, from large engineering companies with long term DOT contracts to smaller CRM companies with local contracts.