Dr. Lynn Harris (PhD University of South Carolina) has a background in nautical and terrestrial archaeology and maritime history. She teaches courses in underwater archaeology methods, maritime material culture, maritime landscapes, watercraft history, coastal cultural resource management, African and Caribbean maritime history, and archaeology. Most recently, Harris authored and edited two books, in addition to co-authoring articles published in International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, Journal of Maritime Archaeology, and Coriolis: Interdisciplinary Journal of Maritime Studies. Harris currently serves as faculty in the Program in Maritime Studies, Atlantic World Program, and Integrated Coastal Sciences Doctoral Degree Program. She has served for several years as a member of the Advisory Council in Maritime Archaeology, chair of the North Carolina Maritime History Council and Co-Director of East Carolina University Coastal and Marine Studies InterdisciplinaryUndergraduate Program .
Dr. Valerie A. Johnson serves as Dean of the School of Arts, Sciences, & Humanities at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her research, conducted in Costa Rica, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, the Seychelles Islands and the United States, lectures, and publications center on gender, bioethics, disability, the health of women and girls, and environmental justice. In North Carolina, Dr. Johnson conducts research on both African American foodways and African American attitudes towards and experiences with “nature spaces.” Dr. Johnson chairs the NC African American Heritage Commission, serves on the NC Historical Commission, National Register Advisory Committee, the boards of the NC Maritime History Council and Preservation NC, is member of the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network, and is an advisor on the Humanities Action Lab’s initiative on climate change, immigration/migration and environmental justice. Dr. Johnson holds a Ph.D.in medical anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley, and an M.A. in sociology from Atlanta University.
