Alyssa Sperry Bertrand

Alyssa (Sperry) Bertrand holds a master’s degree in Global/International Studies from the University of Oregon and a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and History from Washington State University. From 2016 to 2020, her research explored Jamaica’s salt industry, focusing on the economic, cultural, and historical significance of salt across the island's diverse communities, including its ties to Rastafari and Maroons. Her work is featured in Salt in Eastern North America and the Caribbean (University of Alabama Press, 2021), Women Who Changed the World (ABC-CLIO, 2022), and "Eating Jamaica: How Food is Used as a Tool to Create and Reinforce Cultural Identity" (World History Connected, Vol. 18, No. 1, 2023).

Alyssa now lives in Oregon with her husband, Josh. She maintains strong ties to Jamaica through the lasting friendships and family connections built during her research. Having married into a Jamaican family, she continually celebrates the island's culture and history through storytelling and cooking—including making a mean jerk chicken and beef patties, both Jamaican-approved!