He also directs Monmouth University's Center for New Jersey History. In 1977, as a nine-year-old, he volunteered on an archaeological excavation in Westfield, New Jersey at the suggestion of his father, a history and geography teacher. That experience left a lasting impression. After completing his undergraduate education at Drew University, he began working in cultural resource management. In 1991 he received his M.A. in anthropology from the College of William and Mary. He completed his Ph.D. in anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania in 1997.