Susanne began diving at the age of 14 and she developed a love for the cultural heritage that the underwater world protected. After receiving diving certifications in several specialties and advancing to a PADI Divemaster, she pursued further training throughout her university experience in scientific diving. While obtaining a B.S. degree in anthropology with a focus on underwater archaeology and conservation from University of West Florida, Susanne completed a field school in foreshore archaeology at Flinders University in Australia. After completing her B.A., she joined the HL Hunley project in the excavation and preservation of the Civil War submarine, before completing a Masters degree in conservation of cultural heritage from the University College London. Continuing her love for all things maritime, she served as a Senior Conservator at The Mariners’ Museum for the USS Monitor shipwreck project. In 2006, the Women Underwater Scholarship allowed her to advance her dive training past the recreational level to a technical diving certification. This was critical in gaining an appreciation and experience in diving to deeper depths, allowing her to access heritage sites that are rarely seen by others. In addition to remote experience in diving, Susanne joined the Antarctic Heritage Trust for two seasons (2008, 2012) to assist in the preservation of the early explorers expedition bases along Ross Island, Antarctica. In her current position as a conservation educator and the Director of Conservation at East Carolina University, she completed the AAUS scientific diver training and has enjoyed diving in a variety of locations for work and pleasure including the southeast U.S., mid Chesapeake Bay, Hawaii, Bahamas, Mexico, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Cyprus, Israel, and Jordan.