T.J. Altieri has lived a life committed to sharing education and exploration. He has taken his many vocational and academic experiences and integrated them into a thriving career of teaching, writing and community engagement. The diversity of his past endeavors has enhanced T.J.'s ability to reach people of all ages and from all walks of life. Whether it is at reputable institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in public schools, in the field or in the digital domain, T.J.'s drive and versatility has afforded him the ability to connect with any audience.In addition to being a Social Studies/Anthropology instructor since 2012, T.J. is currently the coordinator for the Conservation Discovery Corps. at Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo, where he combines teaching with conservation field work and engaging education initiatives. This program has won the Association of Zoo's and Aquariums' 2014 Education Award for its outstanding work and TJ has been featured on WICRV radio for his study of wolves in Yellowstone. In June of 2014, TJ was chosen as Hofstra University's Alumnus of the Month and has also won Hofstra's Asian Studies Essay Award for his evocative writing on Japanese literature. Outside of work, T.J. Altieri has dedicated his time to exploring the world in many different ways and even cajoled his love for expedition paddling into being the first Long Island Chair for Kayak for a Cause, where he raised over $14 thousand dollars for local charities. He is also founder of the kayak, SUP and canoe club Paddle Posse which explores the world from the unique vantage of paddlecraft.In October 2017, T.J. produced TEDxDanbury: What Lies Beneath?, an independently organized TED Talk featuring an intriguing array of speakers from a number of fields.T.J.'s scholarly focus since 1996 has been ancient Celtic and European archaeology through the lens of gender studies, but he also has experience (classroom, lab & field) in Neolithic European, pre-historic North American, and historic American archaeology. His cultural resource management work with firms like The Louis Berger Group has taken him on excavations throughout the East Coast, and these all enhance his ability to be an effective and memorable educator. Though T.J. has also been writing fiction for years, his first published novel Controlling Interest debuted on Amazon and Kindle in October 2019. His subsequent works, Foundations and Lowside Symphony made him the featured author at the American Alliance of University Women's 2023 Book and Author Luncheon.