Projects

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.