President James Delgado Bids Farewell to INA and Joins the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration as Director of Maritime Heritage
October, 2010
The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries has selected Dr. James P. Delgado as its Director of Maritime Heritage. Delgado, 52, is leaving the position of President and CEO of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA).
During Dr. Delgado’s five-year tenure, INA completed its first ever strategic plan, raised millions in funding to conduct significant excavations and surveys around the world, launching a new publications program and website, and increasing its global profile. INA’s Dr. George F. Bass, the “father of underwater archaeology,” notes that Dr. Delgado has been “the most professional president INA has had, and only one I had ever had in mind to preside over INA.” Dr. Charles Garrison, current chairman of the board of directors, notes that “INA hired Dr. Delgado to be INA’s agent of change and to develop and pursue our strategic plan with the board, staff and affiliated faculty. He has done all of that, and more to make INA sustainable in the decades to come.”
Dr. Delgado, in assuming his new duties with the Maritime Heritage Program, joins America’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, a submerged portion of the United States greater in size than the National Park System. In addition to unique natural resources such as coral reefs and marine habitats, the Sanctuaries also encompass large numbers of shipwrecks and submerged archaeological sites. The wrecks and sites represent incredible and important stories about the American experience and humanity’s interaction with the sea, from working craft, immigrant steamers, and whaling ships to famous warships such as the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor. As Director of Maritime Heritage, Dr. Delgado will work with a diverse and talented team to learn more and share those stories with the public while also preserving and protecting them. Relating those stories with more than 300 million Americans is key, notes Daniel J. Basta, Director of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. “Jim’s job is not just about protection, it is projection. These are important and powerful tales that we look forward to sharing.”
Prior to his tenure with the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, Dr. Delgado was a maritime museum director for 15 years, the founding chief of the National Park Service’s maritime preservation program, and the host of National Geographic Television’s “The Sea Hunters.” He is the author of more than 30 books and numerous articles, and has appeared in many television documentaries. “I am proud to have been selected by Dan Basta to join the team,” Delgado notes. “This position is an opportunity to combine the many facets of my career to date into a job that can help connect Americans to the incredible resources in the National Marine Sanctuaries.”
