User:Dbenford/sandbox

Cassandra Michaud is a senior research archaeologist in the Montgomery Parks division of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission in Montgomery County, Maryland. She is known for her leadership of the archaeological development of the Josiah Henson site and museum, dedicated to the prominent abolitionist, author, and minister, and real-life inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology from the University of Maryland at College Park and a Master's degree in 2000 in Archaeological Studies from Boston University. Her thesis was titled Archaeological and Historical Investigations of the Rowley Village Ironworks (1668–1681), Boxford, Massachusetts.

Michaud is the Principal Investigator overseeing excavations at the Isaac Riley Plantation (now the Riley-Bolten House, where Josiah Henson was enslaved, which have been ongoing since around 2012.  She is known as a vibrant archaeology communicator and has appeared on Time Team America and was a featured speaker at the 2020 DigVentures archaeology festival.  Michaud regular hosts volunteer archaeologists in both field and lab work for excavations and artifact preparation.  She is a member of the board of directors of Archaeology in the Community, a nonprofit organization for community archaeology promoting community involvement and professional development in archaeology in the Washington, D.C. area, founded by Alexandra Jones.