Tamara Thomsen serves as a Maritime Archaeologist within the State Historic Preservation Office at the Wisconsin Historical Society. 

Thomsen received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  

Through her extensive research work on shipwrecks and other underwater sites including submerged mines and ancient canoe caching sites, she has successfully facilitated the inclusion of over 80 underwater archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places. Thomsen is a skilled diver, working underwater to locate and document Wisconsin archaeological sites to ensure their stories are preserved and shared with the public.  

Her contributions to maritime archaeology have earned her recognition from several organizations, including the Association for Great Lakes Maritime History and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society. In 2014, she was inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame. In 2026, she was named a Fellow National of The Explorers Club and received a Luminary Award from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, recognizing her significant impact in underwater research and preservation.