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Dr. Mary Furlong Minkoff

Biography

Mary Furlong Minkoff is the Executive Director of the Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN). At
FPAN, Mary oversees a network of regional centers dedicated to promoting stewardship, public
appreciation, and the value of Florida’s archaeological heritage through community engagement. She
returns to FPAN, where she previously worked as the first Outreach Coordinator for the Northwest
Regional Office, after nearly 15 years in the Mid-Atlantic.
Prior to joining FPAN, Mary worked as the Assistant Director of Archaeology and Curator of
Archaeological Collections at James Madison’s Montpelier. There she oversaw Montpelier’s public
archaeology programs and public archaeology laboratory. While at Montpelier, Mary collaborated with
the Orange County African American Historical Society, for which she served as a board member in
2022-2023, the Montpelier Descendants Committee, and other community organizations and members
of the public on numerous projects including the multi-award-winning Mere Distinction of Colour
exhibition, annual Juneteenth celebration, and the LEARN Archaeology Expedition programs,
Montpelier’s signature public archaeology program.
Mary earned her PhD at the University of Maryland, College Park where she specialized in civically
engaged archaeology, community archaeology, and African American archaeology. Her dissertation
focused on working with descendants to uncover the archaeology and memories of African American
communities surrounding the Civil War Defenses of Washington and in particular The Fort community in
Alexandria, Virginia. Mary also worked with the National Park Service in a variety of areas including the
National Capital Regional Archaeology Office and as an archaeologist for the Urban Archaeology Corps
youth program. She earned her MA in Historical Archaeology from the University of West Florida and BA
in Anthropology and History from the University of Mississippi.

Degrees & Institutions

BA University of Mississippi (Anthropology & History); MA University of West Florida (Historical Archaeology); PhD University of Maryland (Anthropology)

Keywords: Historical Archaeology, Public Archaeology, Community Engagement, African American Archaeology, Florida Archaeology, Plantation Archaeology, Spanish Colonial Archaeology, Mid-Atlantic Archaeology, Civil War Archaeology