Ellen Jackson is the Metal Detectorist for the Shiloh Excavations (2020-present). She is also a linguist, translator and administrator with Wycliffe Bible Translators and SIL International based in Dallas, TX. Ellen has an MA in linguistics from UCLA and lived in Cameroon, Africa, for more than 20 years. Now she supports other organizations offering Biblical training in Israel. She took up metal detecting as a hobby in 2010. Recognizing the value of metal detectors for archaeology, Ellen volunteered at Khirbet el-Maqatir in 2013, and has participated in ABR digs ever since, helping recover thousands of coins and metal artifacts. She says: “God gifts each of us with different interests, skills and abilities, and then surprises us with opportunities to use those gifts over the course of our life.”