The Research Team

Photo of Dr. Katherine Hermes, supervisor of the Forgotten Voices website.
Dr. Katherine A. Hermes received her A.B. in history, cum laude, from the University of California-Irvine, in 1985; an M.A. (1987) and M.Phil. (1988) in history at Yale University; a J.D. from Duke University School of Law in 1992; and her Ph.D. in Colonial American history from Yale in 1995. She has taught at Central Connecticut State University in the History Department since 1997 and served as Department Chair from 2012-2018 and in Spring, 2022. She teaches courses on Anglo-American legal history, Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands, and the American Revolution, as well as other courses in Early American History. She is the co-author with Alexandra Maravel of several articles and book chapters on Native American history in New England and the author of book chapters on Native legal history. She is the director of the “Uncovering Their History” project at https://www.africannativeburialsct.org and the supervisor of the “Forgotten Voices” website. She oversaw and conducted research for the project.

Some of the researchers at the CSU Making History Conference at Southern Connecticut State University.
Some of the researchers at the CSU Making History Conference at Southern Connecticut State University: Back row, L-R: Cheyenne Tracy, Peter Moran, Dan MacNeil, Joe Mumley; Front Row, L-R: Andy King, Katherine Hermes, Dana Meyer, Anna Fossi.
Katrina Council, contributing researcher, graduate student in the MA in Public History program at CCSU, and teacher at Miss Porter's school in Farmington.
Katrina Council is a teacher who began teaching at Miss Porters in 2018. Her educational philosophy revolves around the idea that anyone can learn anything, and as a teacher, she strives to have a fun but educational learning environment for her students. Katrina has a Master’s in Teaching from the University of Southern California, and she earned her Bachelor’s from Central Connecticut State University. Her interests in history revolve around her passion for the truth, and so she focuses on the history of marginalized groups in the United States. She is currently working on an MA in Public History at CCSU.
Andy King, contributing researcher, graduate student in the MA in Public History program at CCSU, and Communications Manager at the Connecticut League of History Organizations.
Andy King is a first-year student in Central Connecticut State University’s Master’s program in Public History. They received their Bachelor’s degree in History with a minor in Public History from CCSU in 2021. They have done work with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Connecticut Landmarks, Connecticut Explored, and the New Britain Industrial Museum. They are presently the Communications Manager for the Connecticut League of History Organizations and urge you to follow the CLHO Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts to engage with advocating, supporting, and funding Connecticut history.
Peter Moran headshot

Peter Moran earned his bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Washington in Seattle. He worked in film production before pursuing his Master’s degree in Public History at CCSU. His studies focus on community engagement and multimedia interpretation. He works with the Connecticut Historical Society collecting oral histories on COVID for the Community History Project and works as a historical interpreter for Discovering Amistad. 

 Dana J. Meyer is an MA student in Public History at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU), with a propensity for innovation. He is nontraditional in his path to Graduate School and has spent a great deal of his career outside of the world of academia. His current interest resides in Digital Humanities. He was a recipient of the 2019- 2020 Digital History Fellowship at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University. His current research focuses on Revolutionary War desertion which can be found here. He is currently a full-time Graduate Assistant in the History Department at CCSU.
Joseph Mumley received his B.A. in history from Central Connecticut State University in 2021 and is planning to graduate in 2023 with his M.A. in Public History. He plans to follow a career path in museums, national parks, and historic sites. He has interned at Coltsville National Park and Mattatuck Art Museum, and he has worked for the Connecticut Veterans History Project at the Elihu Burritt Library

Daniel J. MacNeil was inducted into Phi Alpha Theta in 2018 and received his B.A. in History, cum laude, from Central Connecticut State University in 2019. He worked as a Classroom Assistant at Middlesex Community College from 2012 to 2015, worked as an intern at the Veterans History Project at CCSU in 2018, and volunteered at the New Britain Industrial Museum in 2020. Currently, he is a graduate student enrolled in the Public History M.A. program at CCSU and is working on the Mike Alewitz project at the Elihu Burritt Library. He also volunteers at the Rocky Hill Historical Society. 

Kaitlyn Oberndorfer is a graduate student of Central Connecticut State University’s Public History Program. Outside of Central, she works as an 11th grade American History teacher at CREC Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts High School and as a Historical Interpreter at the Mark Twain House and Museum.