Presenter Profile: Elissa Scalise Powell

Elissa Scalise Powell, CGSM, a western Pennsylvania researcher, is a Trustee for the Board for Certification of Genealogists, and their Exhibit Booth Coordinator. She is the instructor for the “Foundations,” “Genealogy Profession” and online “Ethnic and Geographic Specialties” modules in Boston University’s Genealogical Research Certificate program. Elissa is the Professional Genealogy Course Coordinator at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, and was co-coordinator of the Accreditation/Certification Survey course at Salt Lake Institute 2010. She is a regional and national speaker on such topics as Pennsylvania records, methodology, professional development, and society management. She was a Director for the Association of Professional Genealogists for 6 years; co-edited a cemetery book series and appeared on the PBS-TV show "Ancestors 2" in the cemetery episode. You can see her in a video presentation on the BCG website and a video lecture from the 2009 Professional Management Conference on the APGen.org website (PMC webcast). She is a past-President of two societies, taught a beginning genealogy course at a community college for fourteen years and is a contributing author for many publications.

Elissa is teaching "The Research Cycle: Don't Pedal Backwards" on Thursday at 8am, "Beating the Bushes: Using the GSP to Find Jacob's Parents" on Saturday at 8am, and "Twenty Years of Stuff--Now What Do I Do?" on Saturday at 11am.