Our Team
Lyle C. Torp
Managing Director
Lyle Torp has directed the firm’s business and technical operations since 1998. He regularly consults on issues related to compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), directs the preparation of environmental assessments under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and performs a variety of services related to archeological and historical assessments and historic preservation planning. Mr. Torp is a past President and current Executive Board member of the Council for Maryland Archeology (CfMA) and has served on the Board of Directors for the American Cultural Resources Association (ACRA). Lyle is also an Instructor in the Cultural and Heritage Resource Management (CHRM) graduate program at the University of Maryland.
Matthew Palus
Senior Archeologist
Dr. Matthew Palus is a Senior Archeologist with The Ottery Group. He has been an archeologist in the Middle Atlantic region for over 25 years, with experience in all levels of effort at historic and pre-contact Native American sites in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. His primary research focus is on historical sites pertaining to urbanization and modern infrastructure, post-Emancipation African American life, and military sites. He is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland.
Suzanne Trussell
Senior Archeologist / Lab Director
Suzanne Trussell is a Senior Archeologist and also directs the Cumberland, Maryland archeological laboratory. She has experience performing all phases of cultural resource investigations and has served as Principal Investigator on a number of compliance-related projects. She has led projects in the Mid-Atlantic region and has worked in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Colorado, Puerto Rico, Belize, and Ecuador. Ms. Trussell is actively involved in research, leads public archeology projects with museums and community organizations, and has worked to promote heritage tourism.
Karl Franz
Archeologist – Field Supervisor / Cemetery Specialist
Karl Franz has a broad experience in cultural resource management with a specialization in funerary archeology. He has over 35 years of technical experience and has managed archeological excavations in 20 states, with a focus in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Regions of the United States. He has directed archeological projects for a variety of public, private, and government clients for purposes that range from compliance-driven to academic research studies and is equally proficient in pre-contact Native American and historical period site excavation and interpretation.
Karen Lopez
Archeologist – Field Supervisor
Karen Lopez has broad experience in the cultural heritage field. She has over 8 years of technical experience in cultural resource management and has managed archeological investigations in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions of the United States. She has directed archeological projects for a variety of public, private, and governmental clients and is equally proficient in precontact Native American and historical period site excavation, analysis, and interpretation.
Zachary Andrews
Archeologist – Field Director
Zak Andrews serves as an archeological field director at The Ottery Group. Mr. Andrews has over 15 years of archeological excavation and data recovery experience, with duties that include oversight of Phase I, II, and III cultural resource investigations associated with both historic and precontact resources. He has authored or contributed to multiple technical reports.
Darrell Pinckney
Archeologist / Artifact Conservation Specialist
Darrell Pinckney has performed cultural resource investigations for historic and pre-contact Native American sites in the North Eastern and Mid-Atlantic regions for the past 29 years. He holds a BS in Public Archeology from Bridgewater State University and a MA in Cultural Anthropology from Eastern University. Pinckney is also an adjunct professor at both Southern New Hampshire University and Schenectady County Community College in their Community Archeology Program. In addition, Darrell is an experienced artifact conservator, conserving artifacts for state museums, CRM firms, and community historical societies for over 26 years. He is a member of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC).
Timothy Mancl
Archeologist – Field Director / Industrial Archeologist
Tim Mancl has conducted all levels of archaeological investigations on precontact, and urban, industrial, and rural historic-period sites throughout New England and the Mid-Atlantic regions. In addition, he has conducted documentary studies on urban infrastructure and industrial sites. Mr. Mancl specializes in the history and archaeology of nineteenth-century American industrial development and processes, and is the author or co-author of over fifty cultural resource reports and cultural resource technical studies.
Brittany Adams
Archeologist – Field Supervisor / Underwater Archeologist
Brittany Adams holds a master’s degree in Underwater Archeology from the University of Miami, with research focused on coastal landscape preservation and the impacts of climate change on cultural heritage resources. She is a Registered Professional Archeologist (RPA) with over a decade of experience in both terrestrial and underwater archeology. She has experience in field methods for all phases of archeological investigation and archeological monitoring from working on historic and pre-contact Native American archeological sites across Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, Washington, and Florida. Her research interests focus on the impacts of climate change on coastal and submerged archeological sites, including sea level rise, temperature shifts, and storm damage, with an emphasis on preservation and mitigation strategies for these sites.
Grant Cunningham
Architectural Historian
Grant Cunningham is an architectural historian and historic preservation specialist. He has over five years of experience researching and documenting historic structures and sites at the National Park Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Maryland Historical Trust, and The Ottery Group. He has knowledge of and experience producing technical documents such as state historic property inventory forms, Determination of Eligibility (DOE) forms, and HABS historical reports, and has documented numerous historic sites associated with underrepresented communities. He is proficient at organizing Section 106 compliance for state and federal undertakings, as well as integrating cultural resources compliance processes with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents.
Justin Mohammadi
Architectural Historian / Archeologist / GIS Specialist
Mr. Justin Mohammadi holds an MAA in Anthropology and MHP in Historic Preservation and serves multiple roles at The Ottery Group. He is a registered professional archeologist and meets the Secretary of the Interior qualifications for history and architectural history. Mr. Mohammadi utilizes digital documentation methodology such as GIS, LIDAR, and photogrammetry to aid in the visualization and preservation of historic sites. He has worked for over five years in the mid-Atlantic region with experience in anthropology, archeology, and historic preservation. His research interests include archeology of the African Diaspora, segregation, migration and settlement processes, landscape archeology, and the human-environment interaction. His technical expertise includes digital archeology, GIS and remote sensing.
Tim Horsley
Geophysical Specialist
Dr. Tim Horsley is the General Manager of HAP and has more than 28 years of experience integrating geophysical techniques into archeological investigations. Following extensive specialist training in these methods during internships with English Heritage’s Geophysics Team and a Master’s Degree Program with the Department of Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford, UK, Tim received a PhD in Archaeological Prospection from the University of Bradford. Dr. Horsley specializes in developing appropriate field methodologies in new and challenging environments, drawing upon a range of non-invasive techniques that can map and characterize buried cultural remains. His recent published articles also illustrate ways in which these methods can significantly augment traditional archeological approaches.
David Hixson
Archeologist / Photogrammetry Specialist
Dr. David Hixson is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Art and Archeology at Hood College. He is an archeologist with a technical specialization in the use of remote sensing (satellite imagery, aerial photography, synthetic aperture radar) in the study of pre-contact Native American settlement patterns and historic landscapes. David has conducted archeological fieldwork in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Southeast.
Stefan Woehlke
Archeologist / Mapping Specialist
Dr. Stefan Woehlke is a Lecturer in the Historic Preservation Program in the University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Stefan is a historical archeologist with a specialization in cultural landscape analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). He also has expertise in digital preservation, focused on the 3-D documentation of historic structures, memorials, archeological excavations, and landscapes. His research is focused on developing community-centered heritage projects with the African American communities that surround the University of Maryland and College Park.
Jamie Colopietro
Project Coordinator
Jamie is an archeological supervisor and serves as Project Coordinator for The Ottery Group. She is also an adjunct professor at Harford Community College. Jamie Colopietro earned her AA degree in Sociology/Anthropology/Public History from Harford Community College, a BA in Anthropology with a minor in Archeology from the University of Maryland and an MPS in Historic Preservation and Resource Management from the University of Maryland College Park. Her thesis focuses on diasporic archeology. She has worked on projects in public, private, and government sectors. She is currently involved with a multi-year historic preservation project to preserve local black cemeteries.