WASHINGTON, D.C., May 10, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, has been inducted into Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Ms. Garrett-Nelson graduated magna cum laude from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York in 1975, after which she earned both a Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1978 and a Master of Laws in taxation in 1982 from the New York University School of Law. She began her legal career in the tax department of the New York office of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and Jacobson in 1978. In 1982 she left that firm to join the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation of the U.S. Congress, during which time she had the opportunity to work on the historic Tax Reform Act of 1986.
After a stint as a partner at the Baltimore-based law firm of Piper and Marbury she turned her attention to tax legislative and regulatory work and became a founding partner of the highly regarded boutique law firm of Washington Counsel PC. In addition to practicing law, she taught as an adjunct professor in the graduate division of the Georgetown University Law School from 1987–1992. She became a Principal of Ernst & Young when this Big Four accounting firm acquired Washington Counsel in 2000. After a distinguished 35-year career as a tax lawyer she retired from Ernst & Young in 2013. As a part of her civic commitments, Ms. Garrett-Nelson has served on the board of trustees for the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Foundation since 2014, where she currently chairs the investment committee and serves on the audit committee.
After a long and distinguished career in law, Ms. Garrett-Nelson turned her attention to her longtime avocation as a genealogist. After pursuing a genealogical education, including a Genealogical Research Certificate from Boston University's Center for Professional Research, she obtained the Certified Genealogist® credential in 2015. She then began to focus on researching, writing, and lecturing about enslaved African Americans, to document their family histories and raise awareness about their lives and their contributions to society. Ms. Garrett-Nelson was elected as a trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) in 2016, and as the first African American president in 2019. She was elected to second and third terms as BCG president in 2020 and 2021.
In her current role as BCG president Ms. Garrett-Nelson manages BCG's business affairs and serves as an ex officio member of committees. She is also a lifetime member of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS), the National Genealogical Society, and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. In addition to being distinguished as a fellow of the American Society of Genealogists, she serves as the Registrar General of the Sons and Daughters of the United States Middle Passage, a national lineage society that honors enslaved ancestors.
Ms. Garrett-Nelson is nationally recognized as an authoritative genealogical writer and educator. She has contributed to articles in such scholarly journals as the AAHGS Journal and the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. She has also published several books, including "A Guide to Researching African American Ancestors in Laurens County, South Carolina, and Selected Finding Aids" in 2016 and a guide to genealogical research in Alabama published by the National Genealogical Society in 2021. Furthermore, she was the editor and principal writer of two church histories. Ms. Garrett-Nelson looks forward to continuing to document scholarly articles about her family as well as others.
In 2019, Ms. Garrett-Nelson conceived, created, and coordinated the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy's African American genealogy course. She also serves on the faculty of the three other major genealogical institutes: the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records, and the Institute of Genealogy & Historical Research, where she lectures on genealogical methodology as well as African American genealogy.
Honoring her achievements in genealogy, Ms. Garrett-Nelson was the recipient of numerous accolades, including a Phillis Wheatley Literary Award from the Sons and Daughters of the United States Middle Passage lineage society in 2017, a Distinguished Service Award from the Utah Genealogical Association in 2019, and in 2020 both an Award for Excellence for an exemplary published article from the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and the Elizabeth Clark-Lewis Award for original research in support of African American Genealogy from AAHGS. Her work has also been highlighted in numerous professional publications and in the media, including The Wall Street Journal and the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. Ms. Garrett-Nelson attributes her success to the strong sense of family inspired by her Garrett great-grandfather, who was born enslaved in 1863 and was featured on the cover of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly in 2020.
About Marquis Who's Who®
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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