George J. Bey III received his Ph.D. from Tulane University. He is currently a professor of anthropology at Millsaps College where he holds the Chisholm Foundation Chair in Arts and Sciences. His research has focused on Maya civilization in the northern Maya lowlands. He has studied the ceramics of both Central Mexico and the northern Maya lowlands and co-directed a long-term project at Ek Balam. He is presently one of the co-directors of the Bolonchen Regional Archaeological Project (BRAP) where he has focused his efforts on the Maya site of Kiuic. He has published numerous articles and book chapters and is the co-editor along with Kathryn Brown of Pathways to Complexity: A View from the Maya Lowlands. 

Bey has been carrying out fieldwork in the tropical eco-systems of Yucatan, Mexico since 1984. He sees archaeology as a powerful tool for supporting cultural heritage and biological sustainability. To make this vision a reality he and his colleagues created the Kaxil Kiuic Biocultural Reserve. This reserve holds the ancient Maya city of Kiuic amidst 4,500 acres of protected dry tropical forest. In his role as president of this international non-profit he supports a wide range of programs, from excavation to community reforestation, jaguar conservation and the monitoring of threatened species. He is dedicated to understanding the rise and fall of the Maya civilization while working in partnership with surrounding contemporary Maya communities and others dedicated to preserving the forest. 

Bey’s work has been highlighted in a number of documentaries including several with National Geographic, most recently in the four part series The Rise and Fall of Maya Civilization. His previous National Geographic documentary Lost World of the Maya has been viewed over 28.5 million times on YouTube. As part of his efforts to reach out to a wider audience, besides Nat Geo, Bey has worked with Dreamworks, A&E, RMC Découverte and Walt Disney Imagineering. He is a proud member of the Explorers Club and was named to the Explorers Club 50: 50 People changing the world who the world needs to know about in 2022.