The speaker is Dr. Brad Hatch is a lifelong resident and native of White Oak. Taking an interest in history, archaeology, and other “old stuff” from a young age, he eventually attended the University of Mary Washington and graduated in 2007 with a degree in historic preservation. Brad then attended the College of William and Mary, earning a Master’s degree in historical archaeology in 2009. He then briefly left the Commonwealth to pursue at Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, which he achieved in 2015. His dissertation research focused on the Potomac River Valley of Virginia in the 17th century. He is currently employed as the Archaeology Division Manager at Dovetail Cultural Resource Group in Fredericksburg. Brad’s research interests include the archaeology and history of agriculture and rural life, identity, community, politics, ceramics, and faunal remains. Though focused on 17th-century Virginia, Brad has worked on sites dating from the deep prehistoric past to the 20th century throughout the Middle Atlantic. He also has a strong interest in traditional crafts and, as a member of the Patawomeck tribe, has started to research the history and traditional construction techniques of eel pots.