Elissa Scalise Powell

Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL, is a Trustee for the Board for Certification of Genealogists. She has earned both credentials granted by the board: Certified Genealogist(SM) and Certified Genealogical Lecturer(SM). She is the Professional Genealogy course coordinator for the Institute for Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama. She also is an instructor for Boston University's on campus and online Genealogical Research Certificate course. She was the course co-coordinator of the AG/CG Preparation Course at the 2010 Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. She taught a beginning genealogy course for 14 years at a local community college. She was honored in May 2010 with the National Genealogical Society's Presidents Citation in recognition of outstanding, continuing, or unusual contributions to the field of genealogy.

A western Pennsylvania researcher since 1986, she is a past-President of the North Hills Genealogists [of Pittsburgh] and of the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society. She was a Director for the Association of Professional Genealogists for six years; co-edited a cemetery book series and appeared on the PBS-TV show "Ancestors 2" in the cemetery episode.

She is a contributing author to many publications such as the APG Quarterly and the NGS Magazine. She lectures regionally and nationally on such topics as Pennsylvania records, methodology, professional development and society management. You can see her in a video presentation on the BCG website and video lectures from the 2009 and 2010 Professional Management Conferences on the APGen.org website (PMC webcast) or at https://learning.familysearch.org/researchcourses.