KRISTIN A. GENSMER

President - Principal Investigator/archaeologist

Kristin Gensmer holds an M.A. degree in Anthropology/Archaeology with a specialization in Historical Archaeology from Colorado State University (2012).  Ms. Gensmer also holds a GIS Certificate through Front Range Community College (2018).  She has 11 years of professional experience in Colorado, Wyoming, and North Dakota performing historic and archaeological investigations as well as architectural surveys for municipal government, highway, mining, wind energy, well field, seismic, utility, pipeline, and disaster recovery projects.  Her expertise includes historic and prehistoric site survey and excavation, architectural survey and documentation, construction monitoring related to historic site stabilization, BLM and OAHP Level II and III documentation, HABS/HAER documentation, archival research, photo-documentation of standing structures and sites, preparation of archaeological materials for permanent curation, analysis of prehistoric and historic cultural materials including archaeological textiles, and National Register of Historic Places eligibility and effects evaluations.  She has authored or co-authored over 60 technical reports. 

Christopher C. Kinneer

vice president - principal investigator/archaeologist

Mr. Kinneer holds an M.A. degree in Anthropology/Archaeology from Colorado State University (2007).  He has 20 years of professional experience, with 18 years of experience in the Rocky Mountain West performing both prehistoric and historic archaeological investigations.  Since joining Centennial in 2001, he has served as a principal investigator and/or acted as the project director assistant for numerous large-scale Class III archaeological surveys, test excavations, and mitigation excavation projects, and contributed to numerous environmental assessments and environmental impact statements.  His expertise includes direction of large-scale survey, test excavation, and full-scale excavation projects, laboratory analysis of lithic and ground stone artifacts, CAD graphics, and GIS applications. During his career, Mr. Kinneer has authored or co-authored over 70 technical reports.  In addition to Wyoming and adjacent areas, he has conducted fieldwork in the American Southwest and Midwest and in South Asia.

CHRISTIAN J. ZIER, PH.D.

emeritus PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/archaeologist

Dr. Zier holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Anthropology/Archaeology from the University of Colorado (1976, 1981). He is the founder of Centennial Archaeology and was the owner from 1984-2014. He has 40 years of professional experience including the past 33 years as a self-employed cultural resource management (CRM) contractor.  He has acted as principal investigator for over 200 projects.  He has directly supervised archaeological survey, testing, and excavation projects throughout the Rocky Mountain West, has contributed to dozens of environmental assessments and environmental impact statements, and has authored or co-authored approximately 200 technical reports.  He has also conducted archaeological fieldwork in Central America, Central Africa, and Central and South Asia, and paleontological fieldwork in North Africa. His expertise includes business administration, direction of field and laboratory investigations, technical report writing, National Register of Historic Places evaluations, EIS and EA studies, and regional management plans.

eva M. Garner

Project director/historian

Ms. (Donkin) Garner holds an M.A. degree from the University of Colorado (2014) where she concentrated her studies in Public History, Historic Preservation, and British and American Social and Cultural History.  She received a B.A. degree from Colorado State University (2006) with an emphasis in Historical Archaeology. Ms. Garner’s professional experience includes historical and archaeological research, the documentation of historic architecture, and the investigation and analysis of historic and prehistoric artifacts.  She also specializes in the examining social and cultural movements in the 19th and 20th centuries.  She has co-authored various technical reports for highway, mining, solar energy, utility, housing development, and pipeline projects. 

benjamin F. Perlmutter

project director/archaeologist

Mr. Perlmutter holds an M.A. degree in Anthropology/Archaeology from Colorado State University (2015).   He has 13 years of professional experience with nine years of experience in the Rocky Mountain West and four years of experience on the East Coast.  He is experienced with both historic and prehistoric archaeological investigations as well as technical report preparation and production and GIS mapping.  Mr. Perlmutter has over three years of experience working with museum collections including cataloging, analysis, and curation of collections from over three decades of CSU field projects.  He has supervisory experience working with professional crews on a variety of survey projects, as well as working with local volunteers on field survey .  His expertise includes archaeological survey and excavation, lithic analysis, high-altitude archaeology, and technical report preparation.

Travis R. Bugg, GISP

Geospatial Services Director

Mr. Bugg harbors a Graduate Certificate in GIS from Northern Arizona University (2008) and B.A. degrees from Western Carolina University (2004) in both English - Professional Writing and Anthropology. He has 16 years of archaeological experience in the Intermountain West, Great Basin, Southwest, Southeast, and Midwest regions. He has conducted GIS-related operations and analysis for over 240 cultural resource compliance projects for a variety of industries, including oil and gas, transportation, electric, and renewable energy. He is skilled in spatial data management, geodatabase design, data acquisition, and Quality Assurance/Quality Control of spatial and relational databases. Travis has acquired and organized data for country-wide cultural profiles of several OCONUS countries for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Air Force. He has extensive experience with Class I background research and site file searches. In addition, he is responsible for the design and deployment of custom database forms and data dictionaries for both spatial and non-spatial data collection in the field and serves as data manager for the collected data. He is also certified by the FAA as a remote pilot for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) and has over two years’ experience directing flight missions for precise aerial mapping of archaeological and historic sites. Travis is highly trained in graphics and report production and has authored or co-authored over 25 technical reports. 

Michelle A. Dinkel

Staff Archaeologist

Ms. Dinkel completed her BA degree (2014) and is currently finishing her MA in Archaeology at Colorado State University (2021). She has 5 years of professional experience within the Rocky Mountain West, working in high-altitude, Piedmont, and plains regions. She also has experience conducting field work in the Colorado Plateau, the Black Hills area, and southern New Mexico. Ms. Dinkel has familiarity with both historic and prehistoric archaeological resources as well as technical report preparation and production. She has several years of experience in artifact cataloging, artifact analysis, and the curation of collections. Her expertise includes archaeological survey and excavation, lithic analysis, and high-altitude hunter-gatherer archaeology.