Our Team

Dr. Whitley, RPA, is a CRM Bioarchaeologist and Archaeologist and the Principal Investigator of the Sugar Land 95 DNA Project. Dr. Whitley has worked as a project director/principal investigator of cemetery excavations and bioarchaeology/osteology. She has over 18years of experience as a principal investigator, 20+ years of experience in the osteological analysis of human remains, mortuary practices, and life history reconstruction of individuals and communities and has received 18+ burial permits from New Mexico and 5 permits from the State of Texas. Dr. Whitley has authored and co-authored over 25 professional reports in Texas and New Mexico, several book chapters and journal articles; including co-authoring studies on cancer and co-authoring an article on Henry VIII in The Historical Journal that impacted our understanding of his ability to have children and midlife mental crisis that has made news across the globe and in popular literature. She taught human evolution, forensic anthropology, and human osteology at the university level at SMU and UTA; which included teaching about genetics and evolutionary genetics. She has served as Lead Bioarchaeologist and a co-author of the final report of the discovery of the Sugar Land 95 titled: Back to Bondage: Forced Labor in Post Reconstruction Era Texas. In 2019, Dr. Whitley was issued a 10 year permit from the Texas Historical Commission to authorize the study of the remains of the Sugar Land 95. Dr. Whitley is the President of the Principal Research Group.

Abigail Fisher works as a contract archaeologist in Texas and is a PhD Candidate at Southern Methodist University, with focuses in Bioarchaeology and diet and lifeway reconstruction. She has a Master of Science in Archaeological Science from the University of Oxford and a Master of Arts from Southern Methodist University. She is a Registered Professional Archaeologist (rpanet.org), has 17+ years of experience in commercial archaeology, and 15+ years working in stable isotope biochemistry. She has worked on multiple cemetery excavations as a Human Osteology Specialist in Texas. She served as Assistant Bioarchaeologist, Laboratory Manager, and co-author of the final report Back to Bondage: Forced Labor in Post Reconstruction Era Texas.  Ms. Fisher is the Vice President and Treasurer of the Principal Research.

Dr. Helen Graham, a Persian Gulf War veteran (Air Force), is Dean of Liberal Arts, Humanities, & Education Professions at Houston Community College (HCC). Dr. Graham has been a genealogist for more than thirty years and has worked on several genealogical initiatives to include the Freedmen’s Bureau Indexing Campaign. On behalf of the City of Missouri City Parks and Recreation department, she located the identities of those formerly enslaved on the Palmer Plantation. She teaches family history research and works one on one with individuals helping them to locate their ancestors, conduct oral histories, and preserve their stories. She consults on community outreach efforts in Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada. Dr. Graham serves on the board of Olive Branch Connections, a non-profit that connects communities' most burdened individuals to their courageous ancestors. Recently, she served as Historian, Genealogical Researcher, and co-author of the final report Back to Bondage: Forced Labor in Post Reconstruction Era Texas. Dr. Graham is the Director of Genealogical Research of the Principal Research Group.