He earned his doctoral, master's and bachelor's degrees in anthropology from the University of Georgia. He has worked on a variety of Native American sites, primarily in South Carolina and Georgia, and has written numerous articles on prehistoric archaeology, exploration routes of Spanish explorers and the early European presence in the southeastern United States. In addition, he is the author of the book "Late Prehistoric and Early Historic Chiefdoms in the Southeastern United States." Since 1989 he has focused on the 16th century Spanish site of Santa Elena and the search for the French site of Charlesfort.