I am originally from Utica, NY, and I have an incredible amount of upstate pride. My husband, Jack, is a track coach and history teacher. I love baking and this is my favorite cookbook. I am an avid spinner and weightlifter, and I occasionally tolerate the other activities programmed by my gym. I play the violin and viola among other things and have been a member of various orchestras and quartets, including the Blue Ridge Chamber Orchestra.

I like to catch up on developments in the field of forensic archaeology (particularly developments involving disease, climate, or the Roman or early medieval period). My greatest mentor in college was Michael McCormick, and I always like to hear about his latest projects. I also worked for a summer at the Oxford School of Archaeology as a research assistant to Helena Hamerow, and during that time, I had the opportunity to visit the excavation of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery. I deeply regret that I was not living in New Haven when, just in time for Halloween, Superstorm Sandy unearthed one of the residents of the colonial burial ground under the Green.

In college, I dabbled in comedy writing. I was also a hammer thrower and the co-captain of the Harvard Track and Field team, and I remain a member of the Executive Board of the Friends of Harvard Track and Field. Here I am throwing a twenty-pound ball: