Hi. My name is Chelsea. I’m a reformed academic archaeologist, working now for a women-owned cultural resource management firm in Santa Cruz, California. 

I received my PhD from the University of California Riverside initially interested in the ways that power, class, and inequality played in the day to day lives of ancient Maya commoners. Since then, I have focused on destabilizing normative archaeological practice- from studying those living in the margins in colonial Belize to helping in the creation of mentoring networks for queer scholars and other marginalized groups. I’m working on a co-authored manuscript with my partner that focuses on the roles that white supremacy and heteronormativity have played in archaeological interpretations of complexity, power, and identity in ancient Mesoamerican societies.  

Some fun facts about me are I love legos, playing Minecraft, and making fresh pasta.  I also have two cats, a dog, and feel very fortunate to live so close to the ocean.