Dr. Justin Dunnavant is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at UCLA. His current research in the US Virgin Islands investigates the relationship between ecology and enslavement in the former Danish West Indies. In addition to his archaeological research, Justin is co-founder and President of the Society of Black Archaeologists and an AAUS Scientific SCUBA Diver. In 2021, he was named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer and inducted into The Explorers Club as one of “Fifty People Changing the World that You Need Know About.” He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. His research has been featured on Netflix’s “Explained,” Hulu’s “Your Attention Please” and in print in American Archaeology and Science Magazine.

Cheryl LaRoche, a founding member of SBA, holds a PhD in American Studies with a concentration in archaeology and African American history. She received the Society for Historical Archaeology’s John L. Cotter award in 2011 and contributed to the edited volume, “Tales of Gotham: Historical Archaeology, Ethnohistory and Microhistory of New York City” which won the James Deetz Book Award in 2015. Her book “Free Black Communities and the Underground Railroad: The Geography of Resistance” examines the relationship between five mid-western archaeological sites and the Underground Railroad. She has consulted for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Park Service and numerous museums and historical sites.

Jay received his initial Open Water training in 2005 through the Underwater Adventure Seekers (UAS) (www.uasdivers.org), the founding club of the National Association of Black Scuba Divers (NABS) (www.nabsdivers.org). Mr. Haigler became an Open Water Scuba Instructor in 2010. He continued his dive education by becoming certified as a Master Scuba Diver Trainer by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). He was formally a National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Scientific Diver. The purpose of the NOAA Diving Program is to train, certify and equip scientists, engineers and technicians to perform a variety of underwater tasks in support of NOAA missions.

Jay Haigler is currently the Diving Safety Officer for the Scientific Diving Program of the National Association of Black Scuba Divers Foundation. Having developed a strong interest in underwater archaeology, he immersed himself in a maritime archaeology program called Diving With a Purpose (DWP) (www.divingwithapurpose.org). Diving With a Purpose (DWP) is a professional advocacy organization dedicated to the conservation and protection of submerged heritage resources by providing education, training, certification and field experience to adults and youth in the fields of maritime archaeology and ocean conservation. A special focus of DWP is the protection, documentation, and interpretation of African slave trade shipwrecks and the maritime history and culture of African Americans. Over 500 people, including 125 youth (ages 15 – 23), have attended DWP’s maritime archaeology field school. The field school has documented 18 shipwrecks, including 18th and 19th-century sailing vessels. DWP has received numerous national awards, including the 2021 Society of American Archaeology’s Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology Award for Archaeology and Education. A graduate of the Catholic University of America, with a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering, Jay enjoys the technical aspects of underwater archaeology, but his passion for teaching has paid dividends for many curious but reluctant prospects. Jay is a member of the board of directors for Diving With a Purpose (DWP).

Craig Stevens is a Doctoral Student at Northwestern University and co-founder of the Black and African Solidarity Show (B.A.S.S.). As an NSF Graduate Research Fellow, his research investigates the placemaking processes of nineteenth-century Black American and Caribbean settlers in West Africa. During his tenure as a Marshall Scholar in the United Kingdom, Craig completed an MA in Archaeology at the UCL Institute of Archaeology and an MA in Museums, Heritage