Michael Thomin

Mike Thomin is the Assistant Director of Education and Interpretation for the Florida Public Archaeology Network at the University of West Florida. Thomin has spent nearly two decades working as a museum professional in public archaeology. He has worked on and consulted with a variety of projects related to heritage interpretation and heritage tourism with local, state, federal, and international partners throughout his career. Most recently, Thomin has co-led a multidisciplinary, multiyear, and, collaborative effort to designate the Florida Panhandle into a National Heritage Area. Thomin serves on graduate student committees and is a frequent guest lecturer for classes in the History and Anthropology departments. 

Thomin also has experience in nonprofit administration. He formerly served on the Board of Directors for the Trail of Florida Indian Heritage as President, and the Panhandle Historic Preservation Alliance as Secretary. Currently, he serves on St. Michael’s Cemetery Foundation of Pensacola Inc. as President, and he is the co-founder and Treasurer of the Northwest Florida Maritime Landscape Alliance for Preservation, Inc. 

Thomin has a passion for maritime history and is a AAUS scientific diver. He is a Florida Master Naturalist, pirate historian, and filmmaker. His research interests include public history, maritime history, maritime archaeology, film production, public archaeology, museum studies, and heritage interpretation. 

• “Sail Bags and Black Flags: Identifying Material Culture of 19th Century Pirates,” in Charles Ewen and Russell Skowronek Deadman’s Chest: Even More Archaeology of Piracy (University of Florida Press), 2023 (co-author)

• “Tour de Fort: Creating and Evaluating Guided Archaeology Tours,” Journal of Archaeology and Education, Volume 6, Issue 4, 2022 (co-author)

• “Integrated Maritime Cultural Landscape for Management of Vulnerable Coastal Heritage,” ACUA Underwater Archaeology Proceedings, 2020 (co-author)

• “Panton, Leslie & Company Shipping in the Age of Revolutions,” Coriolis: Interdisciplinary Journal of Maritime Studies, 2019, Volume 10, No. 2

• “Moving Towards a Harmonized Heritage Tourism Approach: An Assessment of Small Museums in Northwest Florida,” The Museum Review, 2019, Volume 4, Number 1 (co-author)

• “Among Ships of Thieves on Waves of Change,” Coriolis: Interdisciplinary Journal of Maritime Studies, 2018, Volume 8, No. 1, pgs. 12-32

• “Slippery Oysters and a Cold Beer: Incorporating Taste into Interpretation,” Legacy January/February 2017, Volume 28, Number 1, pgs. 16-19 (co-author)

 
• “The ‘P’ in Privateer is for Profit: Revolutionary War Privateers and the Slave Trade,” Journal of the American Revolution, December 2016

• “The Real Pirate Billy Bowlegs: The Origins of the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival and William Augustus Bowles in the Atlantic World,” The Official History of Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival, City of Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce (2014)

• “Pig Iron,” Emerald Coast Review Volume XVI, West Florida Literary Federation (2012)