I hold a Certified Genealogist® credential from the Board for Certification of Genealogists® (No. 1163).  I am accredited in African American genealogy by the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen^SM).  I also have a certificate in genealogical research from Boston University. 

My interest in genealogy was sparked by my paternal grandfather who was an oral family historian.  I am passionate about identifying ancestors, learning their stories, and preserving them for future generations.  I enjoy writing and speaking about genealogy. The NGS Magazine published an article I wrote in its January-March 2026 issue about my 4th Great Grandfather who was a mounted horseman in the War of 1812. I published my first book - about a German-American branch of my father's family - in 2023. In 2024, I spoke at the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society's (AAHGS) annual conference about the genealogical value of African American Funeral Programs.  I spoke at RootsTech in 2026 about how to narrow down the birthdate of someone who did not have an original record documenting their birth. 

In 2025 I was elected as a trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®.  I also chair BCG's Intellectual Property Committee.  

I am a practicing lawyer and am not taking genealogy clients at this time. 

Publications/Media

• "Who's Lad was John Ladd?" NGS Magazine 52:1 (January–March 2026) 43–47. 
• "The Conflating of Two Sisters: Edwidge Hebert (Sister Mary Anastasia) and Anazzie Hebert," Michigana, 69 (Fall 2023): 29-37.
• The Marker Family of Maryland, Ohio, Iowa, and California: German Americans Moving West (Amherst: Genealogy House, 2023).
• Noble Ladd, Jr. (1753-1835) of Stokes County, North Carolina and Fayette County, Indiana (Seattle: Queen City Genealogy, 2023).
• "Neighbors in Section 18, Jackson Township, Fayette County," Indiana Genealogist 31 (March 2022): 4-9. 
• Winner of the Indiana Genealogical Society's Genealogy Writing Award 2022
• Third place in the Ohio Genealogical Society Quarterly's Writing Contest 2023

Lectures

• 2026 RootsTech - "Which Date is Right? Solving Birthdate Conflicts through Genealogical Analysis"
• 2024 Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society's (AAHGS) annual conference - "African American Funeral Programs:  Genealogical Gems"

Honorifics/Credentials
CG® 
AG®

Certificates
Certificate in Genealogical Research (Boston University)

Affiliations
Colonial Dames
Daughters of the American Revolution
​U.S. Daughters War of 1812
Michigan First Families
Ohio First Families
Society of Indiana Pioneers
Territorial Guard Society of Indiana

Degrees
B.A. (Political Science) University of Washington
J.D. University of Oregon School of Law
LL.M. (Labor Law) Georgetown University