Scott Anfinson received a Master's Degree from the University of Nebraska and a PhD from the University of Minnesota, both in Anthropology-Archaeology. His first job was directing a highway archaeological survey, followed by 15 years as the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office Archaeologist and 10 years as Minnesota State Archaeologist. He has also taught heritage management and archaeology classes at the University of Minnesota. He was awarded a Fulbright Grant in 2019 to study heritage management in Norway. Anfinson has written and edited a number of books on Minnesota archaeology including Southwestern Minnesota Archaeology and A Handbook of Minnesota Prehistoric Ceramics. Besides heritage management, his research interests include underwater archaeology, urban archaeology, Indians of the Great Plains, and the prehistoric archaeology of the North American midcontinent.