Jessica received her B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin in 2007 with a double major in Classics and Archaeology and a minor in Anthropology. Her senior honors thesis, titled "Settlement Patterns in Veii and Arezzo between 400 BC and AD 14", focused on combining archaeological and literary evidence to better understand the cultural interaction between Rome and Etruria as Rome began its expansion. After one season of excavation in Belize (2004), she has conducted the majority of her fieldwork with the Institute of Classical Archaeology (Univ. of Texas). This includes two years of excavation in Chersonesos, Ukraine, one year of survey in Metaponto and Croton, Italy, and one year as the GIS specialist for the excavation of a Roman tile factory in Metaponto. Her primary research interests are currently the evolution of the theory of "Romanization" as it is used on the Italian peninsula as well as in the provinces, landscape archaeology, the use of technology in archaeology, colonization, roads, and limites.