LaBrenda received the Distinguished Service Award in recognition of her service to UGA and SLIG. LaBrenda was instrumental in helping to develop the commemorative Martin Luther King Jr. event that kicked off the SLIG Academy. Additionally, LaBrenda was the coordinator of SLIG’s first African-American research course. This was quite timely, since 2019 marks the 400th anniversary of the first recorded arrival of Africans to an English colony in Virginia.
Also working behind the scenes, LaBrenda has lent her expertise of reviewing SLIG’s policies on professional behavior that were codified and published on the website. LaBrenda’s assistance ensured that all the policies were reviewed and published in one place and was particularly instrumental with the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct section. This contributed to SLIG moving forward as a leader in the industry on these issues.
LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson is an author and lecturer who focuses on African American families with roots in the South; she also serves as a facilitator on the faculty of the Boston University Online Genealogical Program. LaBrenda became a board-certified genealogist in 2015 and was elected as a trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists in 2016. She earned a BA in government from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, and both a Law degree and a Master of Laws degree from New York University School of Law.
While practicing law, LaBrenda authored several editions of her family history as well as two church histories. She has been published in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, among other genealogical publications. In 2016 LaBrenda published A Guide to Researching African American Ancestors in Laurens County, South Carolina and Selected Finding Aids, a book that was widely acclaimed as a model for research in South Carolina and other states. Other publications can be found on her website.
Congratulations, LaBrenda!
