Project Manager

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Cindy Nagel, Archaeologist

Cindy Nagel has served as the Project Manager at Tallgrass Archaeology since 2022. She was previously a Project Archaeologist at Tallgrass Archaeology between 2008 and 2022. In her role as Project Manager, Cindy interfaces with clients, schedules fieldwork, manages invoicing and billing, and assists with report writing and editing. In her prior role as Project Archaeologist, she participated in all levels of investigations and completed project proposals, site analyses, site evaluations, and project reports. Cindy completed her B.A. in Anthropology at the University of Iowa (1997) and her M.S. is in progress at St. Cloud State University.

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  Principal Investigators

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Justin Moe, M.A., Archaeologist

Justin Moe has been an Archaeological Principal Investigator at Tallgrass Archaeology since 2022. He has over 15 years of archaeological experience investigating prehistoric sites dating to the Paleoindian through the Proto-Historic periods and historic sites dating to the Nineteenth Century through the early-Twentieth Century. He specializes in lithic analysis and geomorphology. Justin directs archival and field research activities related to the identification and evaluation of prehistoric and historic archaeological resources, including completing background research, designing and conducting archaeological surveys and site excavations, analyzing prehistoric and historic artifacts, and preparing technical reports. He is well versed in the Section 106 process, having completed well over 250 cultural resource projects and has been involved in the consultation between client, SHPO, and responsible federal agencies. Justin received his B.A. in Archaeology from the University of Wisconsin La-Crosse (2006) and his M.A from the University of Oklahoma (2010). 

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James McGrath-Seegmiller, Ph.D., Archaeologist

James McGrath-Seegmiller joined Tallgrass Archaeology as an Archaeological Principal Investigator in 2022. James has over a decade of field experience in Iowa and abroad. He specializes in the archaeology of prehistoric hunter-gatherers, prehistoric symbolic technologies, rock shelter archaeology, and GIS. James directs field, lab, and archival research for Phase IA, Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III projects. He supervises the GIS analyses, geospatial technologies, and GPS data collection at Tallgrass. James’ dissertation was funded by the National Science Foundation and his work has been published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, Archaeometry, SAA Advances in Archaeological Practice, the South African Archaeological Bulletin, and a book chapter. James received his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Iowa (2020), his M.A. from the University of Iowa (2016), and his B.A. from Arizona State University (2013).

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Jacque Dinnes, M.A., Archaeologist/Laboratory Director

Jacque Dinnes has been a Principal Investigator and the Laboratory Director at Tallgrass Archaeology since 2022. As a Principal Investigator, her responsibilities include leading archaeological investigations, authoring technical reports, and conducting research. As the Laboratory Manager, Jacque oversees the processing, organization, and curation of all archaeological collections recovered during Tallgrass’s field investigations. Her research interests include historic archaeology, legacy artifact collections, bioarchaeology, paleopathology, and feminist archaeology. She has professional experience conducting archaeological survey and excavation in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Jacque has a B.A. degree in Anthropology from the University of Northern Iowa (2015) and a M.A. degree in Anthropology from North Carolina State University (2017).

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Ray Werner, M.A., Architectural Historian

Ray Werner is the lead Architectural History Principal Investigator at Tallgrass Archaeology. He initially joined Tallgrass (then Tallgrass Historians) in 2009 as an archaeological field technician. From January 2013 through April 2018, Ray served as curator and assistant director of the Galena-Jo Daviess County Historical Society & Museum in Galena, Illinois. He rejoined Tallgrass Archaeology as a part-time research associate in 2017 before moving to full-time as a project historian in 2018 and principal investigator in 2022. Ray directs archival and field research, authors technical reports for a range of data collection and mitigation projects, and generates National Register of Historic Places nominations. He has conducted surveys for local historic preservation commissions and has presented research at the annual Preserve Iowa Summit. Ray earned his B.A. degree from Loras College (2011) and his M.A. degree in History from the University of Northern Iowa (2015).

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Jacob Noble, M.HSPH., Architectural Historian

Jacob Noble joined Tallgrass Archaeology as an Architectural History Principal Investigator in 2023. As a Principal Investigator, his responsibilities include leading archival research and field studies, authoring technical reports for various types of surveys, and creating National Register of Historic Places nominations. Jacob’s professional interests include mid—twentieth century architecture, residential styles of the Midwest, religious architecture, public engagement in preservation, and underrepresented communities in preservation. He has experience conducting surveys and authoring reports and nominations in Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota. Jacob graduated with his B.A. in history from Earlham College (2018) and received his M.A. in Heritage Studies and Public History (2021) from the University of Minnesota.

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  Additional Personnel

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T. Marks, M.A., Archaeologist

T. Marks joined Tallgrass Archaeology LLC in 2023 as a part-time employee and transitioned into full-time work as a Research Assistant/Assistant Lab Manager later that year. She has professional experience in forensic anthropology, osteology, anatomy, medicolegal death investigation, and archaeology, having completed fieldwork for the Center for the Study of the First Americans in Alaska. Her research is published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, The FASEB Journal, and Geoarchaeology. Marks provides support for many of Tallgrass Archaeology LLC's operations, including research, report writing, artifact processing, and conducting archaeological surveys and excavations. She received her B.A. from Texas A&M University (2010), her M.A. of Science from University College London (2012), and completed coursework towards a doctoral degree at the University of Iowa. 

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Tyrus Lankford, Archaeologist

Tyrus joined Tallgrass Archaeology as a full-time research assistant in 2023. He completed his B.A. from the University of Iowa (2022). Tyrus assists with fieldwork across Iowa, processes recovered artifacts, and performs various research tasks on both archaeological and architectural projects. His archaeological field school was in Portugal, where he excavated and researched Iberian Bronze Age sites.

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Eric J. “Ric” Devor, Ph.D., Consultant

Ric Devor joined Tallgrass Archaeology in July of 2023 following his retirement from the University of Iowa College of Medicine. Ric received his Ph.D .in Anthropology from the University of New Mexico in 1979. He has served on the faculties of the University of Kansas, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and the University of Iowa College of Medicine. He completed his academic career with more than 150 refereed publications focusing on Anthropological Genetics and Molecular Biology. His role at Tallgrass Archaeology includes consulting on current and future archeological projects as well as archiving past projects.