Debbie graduated with honors from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor’s degree in Family History. She worked as an intern at the New England Historic Genealogical Society. She has also made research trips to Spain, Virginia, and North Carolina.

She is employed by FamilySearch where she is currently the supervisor of the Missionary Training team at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. She is fluent in Spanish. She can also read genealogical documents in Portuguese, Italian, and French.

Debbie serves as a commissioner on the board for the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists and her assignment is webmaster for the ICAPGen℠ website.

Debbie holds two AG^® credentials. One is for the United States Mid-South region. She has done extensive research in North Carolina and Virginia. The other is for Spain where she has done research in various parts of the country.

We asked Debbie to share a little bit about her role as ICAPGen webmaster, and also about her areas of accreditation:

What is your role in ICAPGen, and how long have you been serving?

I am the webmaster and a commissioner.  I think I’ve been serving since 2012.

What are some of the responsibilities, opportunities, or challenges in your role?

Maintaining the website and keeping the information current.  Thankfully, I have some great helpers.

What motivated you to pursue accreditation?

I work at the Family History Library and it is required for my job.  I also appreciate that an accreditation acknowledges that I have studied and know what I’m doing.

What are some challenging or unique aspects to researching in your area of accreditation?

One of my accreditations is in the U.S. Mid-South region.  The challenges there are burned counties and changing jurisdictions, speaking specifically of South Carolina. I love reading land records which are vital to early research in this area. My other accreditation is in Spain and the challenges there involve record access. Many of the records for Spain are only accessible in Spain. I love to travel though. 🙂

What advice do you have for those pursuing accreditation?

It seems daunting but if you persevere you’ll make it. Just keep working and studying. Find a mentor to offer you advice and support.

What are some of your goals as a genealogist?

I’d like to create a website for researchers. I’d also like to write a book.

What research projects are you involved with now, or have planned for the future?

I have a couple of client projects I’m working on now. One of which is part of a book to be published for a family.

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Debbie has given great service to ICAPGen as webmaster.  We appreciate all her hard work, and the excellent website that serves our organization so well.