Staff - Center for Archaeological Research

Professional Staff

	Neal H. Lopinot, Director and Research Professor (Ph.D., Southern Illinois University, 1984) Responsible for overall administration of the Center, including preparation of proposals, oversight of all projects, and active research. Dr. Lopinot has conducted archaeological investigations in Missouri and adjacent states since 1972. His principal research interests are cultural resource management, archaeobotany, and experimental archaeology. Biography Email: NealLopinot@missouristate.edu
	Jack H. Ray, Assistant Research Archaeologist and Research Instructor (M.A., University of Missouri, 1981) Mr. Ray has supervised small- and large-scale projects in Missouri and adjacent states since 1981. Mr. Ray's research interests include early prehistoric cultures, geoarchaeology, and lithic analysis. His area of specialization is the identification and analysis of Ozark chipped-stone resources. In this regard, he is widely respected throughout the Southeast and Midwest. Biography Email: JackRay@missouristate.edu
	Dustin A. Thompson, Project Supervisor (B.S. Anthropology 2000, Masters Certificate in Geospatial Information Sciences 2011, Missouri State University) Mr. Thompson attended the University of Arkansas where he excavated Caddoan sites in Arkansas and Oklahoma. He also has experience in survey and excavation in Missouri, North Carolina, Illinois, and Kansas. He is currently working toward his M.A. in Geospatial Information Sciences at Missouri State University. Email: DustinThompson@missouristate.edu
	Lisa Haney, Program Manager, Missouri Archaeological Society (B.S., Missouri State University, 2004) Ms. Haney is Program Manager for the Missouri Archaeological Society (MAS), Missouri State University. The MAS, a non-profit corporation established in 1934, plays a significant role in Missouri archaeology. The Program Manager is responsible for the daily operations of the MAS including retail publication sales, bookkeeping, public relations, membership database maintenance and meeting coordination. In addition, the MAS produces five annual publications for which Ms. Haney is the Production Manager and Managing Editor. Email: LHaney@missouristate.edu

Support Staff

Pam Burrier, Part-time Administrative Secretary
(B.A., Iowa State, 1961)
Ms. Burrier maintains financial records and manages the office. She also helps with the editing, compilation of reports, drafting, and laboratory research.

Email: PamelaBurrier@missouristate.edu

Patsy Corbett, Laboratory Supervisor Emeritus
(B.A., Southwest Missouri State University, 1994)
Ms. Corbett has been with CAR since its inception. Since her retirement in 2005, she continues to provide the Center with her expertise and experience. She specializes in the identification of historic artifacts.

Email: PatsyCorbett@missouristate.edu

Research Associates

	Edwin R. Hajic (Ph.D., University of Illinois, 1990) is a consulting geo- archaeologist, as well as Research Associate with the Illinois State Museum, and has contributed his expertise in the area of geoarchaeology to a number of CAR projects.
	Lucretia S. Kelly (Ph.D., Washington University in St. Louis, 2000) is a Research Associate in the Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis and a consulting zooarchaeologist. She has experience in excavation and teaching in various universities in the St. Louis area. She has conducted zooarchaeological analyses from numerous sites located in Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Michigan, and Arkansas.
	Rolfe Mandel (Ph.D., University of Kansas, 1991) is Associate Professor of Archaeology and Associate Scientist of Geoarchaeology/Quaternary Geology at the University of Kansas. He is also a private consulting geomorphologist and has worked closely with CAR staff members evaluating landforms.
	Gina S. Powell (Ph.D., Washington University, 2001). Dr. Powell is a consulting archaeobotanist. She has experience in survey, excavation, and teaching archaeological methods at various sites in Michigan, Missouri, Illinois, and New Mexico. She has analyzed botanical remains from sites in the Midwest, Southeast, and Southwest. A former CAR staff member, she now provides assistance in analyzing botanical remains.
	David Richards (MA, Louisiana State University, 1993) is an Associate Professor and Head of Special Collections and Archives at Meyer Library, Missouri State University. His research and professional interests are archives, special collections, and preservation of information materials.
	Marcie L. Venter (Ph.D., University of Kentucky, 2008) has supervised and participated in small- and large- scale prehistoric and historic projects in the Ohio Valley, its tributary drainages, and Mexico since 1994. Dr. Venter’s research interests include late prehistoric and contact period colonial and imperial encounters, boundary interactions, and identity. Her area of specialization is ceramic analysis, which she employs to address how groups manipulate technological styles during the negotiation and expression of often new political and economic relationships.
	Suzanne Walker-Pacheco (Ph.D., City University of New York, 1993) is a Professor in the Anthropology department at Missouri State University. Her research and professional interests include primate behavior and ecology, medical anthropology, health issues of Latino immigrants, and forensic anthropology.