About me

I am a Ph.D. candidate in public history at North Carolina State University. My research centers on how medieval history is understood, interacted with, and negotiated at cultural heritage sites and through the display of medieval objects in museums. I am also interested in archaeological education, GIS & digital humanities, and medievalisms in popular culture.

I graduated from Butler University in 2018 with a B.A. in history and classics, and a minor in anthropology. I then moved to Scotland to complete my M.Sc. in medieval history at the University of Edinburgh. My master’s thesis addressed the construction of genders in early medieval northern Britain, focusing on material culture’s role in gender presentation.

I am an active member of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) and is currently co-chair for the Student Affairs Interest Group (SAIG). My work as a public historian has included public and community archaeological work and education. I am passionate about getting people all ages and backgrounds interested in archaeology and the preservation of the past. A big component of my dissertation research is bridging the gap between academic knowledge of archaeological sites and local community knowledge of the sites.

I am also an assistant editor for The Year’s Work in Medievalism, the journal of the International Society for the Study of Medievalism.

CV
Informational Table for the Student Affairs Interest Group (SAIG) at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America.
Table for the NCSU Department of History at the 2025 End Papers at the North Carolina Museum of Art where Wendy coordinated NCSU students to make zines that were then given out at the event.
Wendy with Directors Dan & Niall at the unveiling of the Ballintubber Cemetery Map in Ballintubber, County Roscommon, Ireland in Summer 2025.
Unveiling of Ballintubber Cemetery Map, Summer 2025.
Wendy speaking at the unveiling of the Ballintubber Cemetery Map in Ballintubber, County Roscommon, Ireland in Summer 2025.
Tabling at Ballintubber Castle as part of the Ballintubber Heritage Weekend in Summer 2025.
Wendy giving a tour of Ballintubber Castle in Summer 2025.
Wendy taking 360 video and photographs of one of Ballintubber Castle's towers, Summer 2025.
Wendy speaking at the GSC research panel at the 2025 annual meeting of the Medieval Academy of America.
Wendy, Director Rachel, and other panelists at the GSC panel at the Medieval Academy of America's annual meeting 2025.
Black History Month 2025 poster created by Wendy and fellow NCSU Public History students, and presented by Wendy at the North Carolina Museum of Art.
Wendy pointing to her name listed as a contributor for an exhibition at Duke University in Spring 2025.
Wendy at the excavation of Ballintober Castle, 2024.
Wendy at Ballymote Castle, 2024.
Wendy leading field school students in a public outreach exercise in Ballintubber, Ireland.
Wendy presenting on public and community archaeology to field school students in Ballintubber, Ireland in 2024.
Wendy at the cairn (of Queen Maeve) on Knocknarea in Co Sligo, Ireland in 2024.
Wendy holding a small modern jar found during a foot survey in Ballintubber, Co Roscommon, Ireland.
Wendy presenting a mapping project on historic districts in Raleigh, NC in 2024.
Wendy presenting her paper (now published) comparing the chapels of King Wenceslas and Queen Margaret at a conference in Prague, Czechia in 2023.
Wendy at Devín Castle, Slovakia in 2023.
Hrad Devín (Devín Castle)
Wendy at Bratislava Castle in Bratislava, Slovakia in 2023.
Wendy leading at tour of Duke Capel at Duke University in Spring 2023.
Wendy leading at tour of Duke Capel at Duke University in Spring 2023.
Wendy graduating from Butler University, 2018.
Wendy at Linlithgow Palace in Linlithgow, Scotland in 2018.
Wendy on Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, Scotland, 2019.
Wendy in front of Lincoln Cathedral in Lincoln, England in 2019.
Wendy at Alnwick Castle in Alnwick, England in 2019.
Wendy walking out to the excavation site on the Isle of Mull, Scotland in 2019.
Wendy's view during lunch on site on the Isle of Mull in 2019.
Wendy and colleagues during excavation of Kildavie site on the Isle of Mull, 2019.
Wendy and colleagues during excavation of Kildavie site on the Isle of Mull, 2019.
Wendy in front of McEwan Hall at the University of Edinburgh, 2019.
One of the "shoebox digs" provided by Butler University's Ancient Mediterranean Cultures and Archaeology Lab for a 2020 International Archaeology Day event planned by Wendy at South Newton Middle School.

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