Dr Della Scott-Ireton graduated from the University of West Florida with a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and a Master’s degree in Historical Archaeology. She also has a Master’s in International Relations from Troy University, and a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Florida State University. Della is certified as a Scuba Instructor with the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI). She worked with the Pensacola Shipwreck Survey, West Florida Historic Preservation, Inc., Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research, and the government of the Cayman Islands before joining the Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN.us) where she serves as Associate Director. Della is a Registered Professional Archaeologist and member of the Florida Archaeological Council, and has served on the board of the Society for Historical Archaeology, the Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology, and the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee. Della’s research interests include public interpretation of maritime cultural heritage, both on land and under water, and training and engaging “citizen scientists” in archaeological methods and practices. She is the author of Maritime Historic Site Management for the Public in the Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology (Springer, 2014) and is editor/co-editor of several publications focusing on public interpretation and management of submerged heritage sites including Between the Devil and the Deep: Meeting Challenges in the Public Interpretation of Maritime Cultural Heritage (Springer, 2013), Out of the Blue: Public Interpretation of Maritime Cultural Resources (Springer, 2007), and Submerged Cultural Resource Management: Preserving and Interpreting Our Sunken Maritime Heritage (Springer, 2003).
