Staff - Centennial Archaeology, Inc.

Archaeological and Historical Consultants

Christian J. Zier, Ph.D.

President - Principal Investigator

Dr. Zier holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Anthropology/Archaeology from the University of Colorado (1976, 1981). He is the owner and founder of Centennial Archaeology, Inc. (1984-present). He has 35 years of professional experience including the past 29 years as a self-employed cultural resource management (CRM) contractor. He has acted as principal investigator for over 200 projects. He has directly supervised archaeological survey, testing, and excavation projects throughout the Rocky Mountain West, has contributed to dozens of environmental assessments and environmental impact statements, and has authored or co-authored approximately 200 technical reports. He has also conducted archaeological fieldwork in South America, central Africa, and central Asia, and paleontological fieldwork in North Africa. His expertise includes business administration, direction of field and laboratory investigations, technical report writing, National Register of Historic Places evaluations, EIS and EA studies, and regional management plans.

Stephen M. Kalasz

Project Supervisor

Mr. Kalasz holds an M.A. in Anthropology/Archaeology from Northern Arizona University (1988). He has 29 years of experience as a professional archaeologist and has worked extensively in the Rocky Mountains, High Plains, and Southwest regions of the western U.S. He is experienced in direction of large-scale field projects, laboratory analyses (with specialization in lithic analysis), database management, and technical report preparation. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 technical reports and is the co-author of work on the archaeology of southeastern Colorado titled Colorado Prehistory: A Context for the Arkansas River Basin. His present responsibilities include serving as a publications committee member for the Colorado Council of Professional Archaeologists.

Travis R. Bugg

GIS Specialist

Mr. Bugg holds a B.A. with a double major in Anthropology/Archaeology and English from Western Carolina University (2004) and a Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) from Northern Arizona University (2008). He has two years of GIS experience and four years of professional experience as a crew member on over 20 projects in the Intermountain West, Great Basin, Southwest, Southeast, and Midwest regions. These projects ranged from linear and block surveys to excavation and cemetery mitigation, as well as monitoring. Since joining Centennial, Mr. Bugg has performed GIS-related operations and analysis for dozens of projects and rendered hundreds of report-quality site and overview maps. He oversees the deployment of GPS and mobile data recording devices in the field and serves as data manager for the collected spatial data. In addition, he is skilled in map production, report production, data acquisition, database creation, and Quality Assurance/Quality Control of spatial and relational databases.

Denise Fallon Zier

Secretary-Treasurer

Technical Editor

Ms. Zier holds a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of New Mexico and has been an officer of Centennial from 1984 to the present. As technical editor, she has overseen the completion of over 100 reports for Centennial. She has co-authored or authored 20 reports of archaeological investigations and also has assisted in field survey and site recording. Ms. Zier is responsible for various aspects of business administration for Centennial, including personnel management.

Christopher C. Kinneer

Project Supervisor

Mr. Kinneer holds an M.A. degree in Anthropology/Archaeology from Colorado State University (2007). He has 10 years of professional experience, and has acted as a project director on numerous projects. Prior to his role as a project director, Mr. Kinneer participated in over 40 CRM projects, as either an assistant supervisor or crew member throughout the southern Rocky Mountains, western Great Plains, and northern Midwest. His expertise includes direction of large-scale survey, test excavation, and full-scale excavation projects, laboratory analysis of lithic and ground stone artifacts, CAD graphics, and GIS applications. In addition, Mr. Kinneer has contributed to numerous environmental assessments and environmental impact statements, and has authored or co-authored approximately 20 technical reports.

Cody M. Anderson

Project Supervisor

Mr. Anderson holds an M.A. degree in Anthropology/Archaeology from Colorado State University (2008). Mr. Anderson has 15 years of archaeological experience in the Rocky Mountains, western High Plains, and southwestern Colorado (1994-present). He has been professionally involved in over 50 archaeological projects in Colorado and adjacent states. These projects are typically for cultural management of military lands, mining lands, pipelines, transmission lines, reservoirs, airports, highways, and wind farms. His supervisory expertise includes prehistoric and historic archaeological survey, excavation, construction monitoring, prehistoric artifact analysis, and technical report production. He has also received additional training in archaeological law enforcement, ground penetrating radar, and underwater archaeology.

Erik M. Gantt

Project Supervisor

Mr. Gantt received his M.A. in Anthropology/Archaeology from Colorado State University (2002). He has been with Centennial Archaeology, Inc. as a project supervisor for the past eight years (2001-present). He has 11 years of professional experience, including fieldwork in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Kansas, Alaska, and Central Africa. He has acted as project director or field supervisor for dozens of pipeline, transmission line, road improvement, wind farm, and landscape use assessment projects in the Rocky Mountain West since 2001. He has directly supervised large archaeological survey, testing, and excavation projects throughout the plains, mountain, and plateau regions in Colorado, has contributed to several environmental assessments and environmental impact statements, and has authored or co-authored approximately 70 technical reports. Mr. Gantt’s areas of expertise include archaeology of the western High Plains, Rocky Mountains, and Intermountain West. His technical skills include large project supervision and management, lithic analysis, faunal analysis, statistical analysis, instrument mapping, CAD and GIS drafting, and federal report preparation.

Bonnie K. Gibson

Staff Archaeologist

Ms. Gibson holds a B.A. in Anthropology/Archaeology and an M.B.A. in Business Administration. She is currently pursuing her M.A. in Anthropology/ Archaeology at Colorado State University. Ms. Gibson has seven years of archaeological experience in the Rocky Mountains, western High Plains, Southwest, and Mesoamerica (2002-present). She has been professionally involved in numerous projects in Colorado and adjacent states. Ms. Gibson’s involvement with these projects has varied from fieldwork to graphics production and technical report preparation. Ms. Gibson has co-authored several technical reports. She has performed extensive lithic analysis and specializes in ceramic analysis.