David J. Cranford joined the OSA in March 2018 as an Assistant State Archaeologist. He provides environmental review and technical assistance for counties in the Southern Piedmont, as well as promotes public outreach and education of archaeology across the state. In addition, David manages the North Carolina Fish Weir Archaeological Project and is a member of the OSA scientific diving program.
David received a BA at Appalachian State University and an MA from the University of Oklahoma before completing his PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. David's dissertation research is an archaeological examination of community organization and household variability within the Catawba Indian Nation of South Carolina during the late 18th century (ca. 1760 – 1800). While at UNC, David worked as a research and teaching assistant for the Department of Anthropology and served as a field school and lab supervisor for the Research Laboratories of Archaeology. His other research interests include the archaeology of North Carolina, public archaeology, ceramic and lithic analysis, and the application of GIS in archaeology. David also serves as the editor for the North Carolina Archaeological Society which publishes the annual journal, North Carolina Archaeology.