NGS appoints Pamela K. Boyer Education and Publications Director

The following announcement was written by the U.S. National Genealogical Society (NGS):

Janet A. Alpert, president of the National Genealogical Society is pleased to announce the appointment of Pamela K. Boyer, CG, CGL, Education and Publications Director, effective 31 March 2008. Boyer will work at the NGS headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.

During a strategic planning session in 2007, the Board of Directors decided to establish the position of Education and Publications Director, which is necessary if we are to deliver on our mission statement “to serve and grow the genealogical community by providing education and training, fostering increased quality standards, and promoting access to and preservation of genealogical records.”

We are pleased to have someone with Pamela K. Boyer’s background as a professional trainer and genealogical researcher, writer and lecturer.  Boyer has been a self-employed professional genealogist for the last 14 years. She earned Certified Genealogist credentials in 1998 and Certified Genealogical Lecturer credentials in 2001. She has been the editor of the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly and copy editor of OnBoard, newsletter of the Board for Certification of Genealogists. She also co-wrote Online Roots: How to Discover Your Family’s History and Heritage with the Power of the Internet (Rutledge Hill Press, Nashville, 2003) and Research in The States—Missouri (National Genealogical Society, Arlington, Virginia, 1999 and 2007). Prior to becoming a professional genealogist Boyer was a technical writer and trainer in several different industries. She has a Bachelor of University Studies degree from Eastern New Mexico University, Portales, New Mexico, and has pursued courses towards an MBA from Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts.

As Education and Publications Director, Boyer will develop a three-year plan of courses and publications that will enhance the educational benefits for our NGS members. She will work closely with Connie Lenzen, cg, chair of the NGS Education Committee. She will work with other members of the staff in redesigning the NGS Web site www.ngsgenealogy.org so we can deliver more educational courses and publications electronically.

Pamela K. Boyer is pleased to be joining the National Genealogical Society and is excited about the opportunity to continue to fulfill its 105-year legacy as the premier national society in the United States through the tangible membership benefits of education and publications.

In a recent interview, Boyer expressed her thoughts about her new role as Education and Publications Director:

Most Americans hunger to know more about their ancestors, and learning how to effectively research your roots is a proven way to meet them face to face in historical sources that come alive if you know how to interpret them.

NGS offers the opportunity for anyone in the world to learn about American genealogical research by availing themselves of online courses and publications. I plan to work closely with NGS’s Education Committee, board, and volunteers to analyze our currently available courses and NGS-published instruction guides and produce some new and innovative methods of instruction.

The success of the Research in the States series, which has been offered as downloadable electronic documents and traditional print versions, suggests that members are ready and eager for newer methods of learning. I plan to identify topics of vital interest to our members and assist in planning and developing new courses at an affordable price and in a convenient format. This may be accomplished through interactive on-line courses that incorporate such features as audio, video, and self-grading, in addition to guidance from experts in the field.

Our NGS top-notch publications, NGSQ, NGS NewsMagazine, the Research in the States series, and the e-zine UpFront with NGS offer genealogical methodology instruction, practical how-to information, useful articles, and news of immediate value. These forums will be augmented by new publications or timely revisions of old favorites such as Numbering Your Genealogy. A complete revision of the NGS guide for beginners is under way, which will bring back a favorite of classroom genealogy teachers.

I’ll also be working closely with a graphic artist and Gayathri Kehr, our NGS Information Technology specialist, to give the NGS Web site a facelift for easier navigation, and we’ll be adding more content.

The National Genealogical Society belongs to its members, and I want to help ensure that they receive quality products and continuing expanded membership benefits.

The National Genealogical Society was founded in 1903, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia and has over 10,500 individual and organizational members across the United States and the world.

Comments

[Cheryl]

This is fabulous, but I want to know what Boyer family she belongs to. That's the name I was born with! I'm sure she must be a "cousin."

[Lois Koonse]

Pamela Boyer is my second cousin. I didn't know about this. Lots of Luck, I know you will do a wonderful job. I am still searching for my grandmother Sarah Francis Henderson who died in Brunot MO (probably) 1892/03 as Henry Clay Midkiff married Sarah Elizabeth Helvey in 1893. She must be buried in an unmarked grave. I've tried to find her for years. Also still have a brick wall with my grgreat grandmothers last name as I found her in Weakley county TN, probably Mt. Pelia no name mentioned on any land records or anything else. Census states she was born N. Caroliina 9no records of marriage. Some say she was Elizabeth Abbott (not so) as she would have to be eleven yrs old and a professor at Georgetown (who is searching for Henry Clays brother) agrees with me. Where this began I'll never know but things make it harder for those of us who need proof. Thanks!! Good luck in yoru new job!!!! Kius

[Tutu Sue]

I just read a most interesting article on the topic of grave dowsing and its ability to locate unmarked cemeteries and unmarked graves. The author even indicates that the sex of the buried can be determined! Boyer might be interested in the article by Brenda Marble, Cass County Historical and Genealogy Society Volunteer. I've dowsed for water and it has worked, who knows why it might work for graves! Worth a try!