Ann-Eliza Lewis is the Executive Director of the Columbia County Historical Society in Kinderhook, NY, where she oversees the operation of the National Historic Landmark Luykas Van Alen House, two other buildings, and the County Museum. Before joining CCHS, she was the curator of archaeological collections for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in Boston and worked as a historical archaeologist providing consulting services to many historic sites and non-profits including Historic New England. Ms. Lewis has a strong interest in public history and particularly in presenting archaeological subjects to the general public. She taught collections management and public interpretation for archaeologists at Boston University. Ms. Lewis has undergraduate and graduate degrees in anthropology from the University of Rochester and Syracuse University and a PhD in Archaeological Studies from Boston University where her research focused on material expressions of identity among free African American communities in New England.