MRI Staff List
Art Cohn is the Executive Director of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum and the Director of the Maritime Research Institute. He is a professional diver and has coordinated and participated in Lake Champlain’s archaeological projects for the past twenty years. Cohn has a B.A. in sociology from the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a J.D. from Boston College Law School.
In 2000 and 2001 Cohn was a Member of the U.S. Delegation to the United Nations Educational, Science and Cultural Organization’s convention for the protection of underwater cultural heritage. Since its inception in 1985, Cohn has been the chief advocate for the Lake Champlain Underwater Historic Preserve. He has formally coordinated that program since 2000 for the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation. Cohn is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Maritime History and Nautical Archaeology at both the University of Vermont and Texas A&M University.
Adam Kane joined the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in 1999, and has been working in the cultural resource management field since 1991. Kane has a B.A. in anthropology from Millersville University of Pennsylvania, and a M.A. in anthropology from the Nautical Archaeology Program at Texas A&M University. Kane is an Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) Scientific Diver and a Monitor for the Lake Champlain Underwater Historic Preserve.
Chris Sabick joined the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in 1998, and has been the Director of Conservation since 2000. He earned a B.A. in history and anthropology from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, and a M.A. in anthropology from the Nautical Archaeology Program at Texas A&M University. His thesis work focused on the history and construction of the Great Lakes Schooner Nancy (1789-1814).
Pierre LaRocque, Archaeological Diver & Logistical Coordinator
Pierre LaRocque has been affiliated with the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum since 1995, and a NAUI scuba diving instructor for the past 17 years. He graduated with a B.A. from the University of Vermont where he majored in history and anthropology with an emphasis in nautical archaeology. LaRocque is a Monitor for the Lake Champlain Underwater Historic Preserve. His experience with tri-mix/deep diving, ice diving, and underwater photography and videography has been invaluable to the Maritime Museum. He also holds a USCG Captain's Master's License with a towing endorsement.
Erick L. Tichonuk, Archaeological Diver
Erick L. Tichonuk is a member of the Maritime Research Institute dive team, and he is an Education Specialist. Tichonuk is a dive instructor and has a B.A. in History from University of Vermont. He has been on the staff of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum since 1985 and has participated in a number of the museum’s archaeological projects.
He also holds a USCG Captain's Master's License with a towing endorsement.
Joanne DellaSalla, Conservation Lab Assistant
Joanne has been with the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum since 2005, working as an archaeologist and a conservator. She earned a B.A. in anthropology and spanish from the University of Vermont and a M.A. in anthropology from the University of Denver. Joanne assists the MRI in all aspects of archaeological projects, from research to fieldwork to report production. She has been in the archaeology field since 1998, and has worked in Vermont, Colorado, the Caribbean and South America.
Brian Spinney, Conservation Lab Technician
Brian Spinney joined the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in 2006 as an intern, and shortly after became a permanent staff member. Spinney has a background in archaeology and received his B.A. in anthropology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2004. Brian has been involved with numerous archaeological projects since 2000 and brings his experience to the conservation lab where he conserves artifacts, curates archaeological collections and serves as an interpreter to the public. Additionally, he assists the Maritime Research Institute as an archaeological diver and shipboard support.
A. Peter Barranco, Jr., Historian
Peter Barranco has been affiliated with the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum since 1986. On the LCMM’s Lake Survey Project (1996–2002) he served as navigation control specialist and historian. Barranco has a B.S. in engineering from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, and is a registered professional engineer (civil) in Vermont. His interests in underwater archaeology began when he worked for the late Lorenzo F. Hagglund in search and salvage operations on a number of wrecks of historical importance in Lake Champlain, Lake George, and the Richelieu River. Since 1953, Barranco has conducted a comprehensive survey and inventory of information related to Lake Champlain vessels. He has provided research support on various underwater archaeological projects conducted in Lake Champlain over the past twenty years.
Frederick Fayette, Boat Captain and Remote Sensing Specialist
Frederick Fayette has been affiliated with the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum since 1989. He serves as the captain of R/V Neptune and electronic technician during for the LCMM’s Lake Survey Project (1996–2002). Fayette’s experience as an aviation electronics technician in the U.S. Navy was essential in the integration and maintenance of the numerous electronic components of the survey. Since 1989, Fayette and Neptune have contributed significantly toward most of the archaeological projects on Lake Champlain.