The following is a press release written by the (U.S.) National Genealogical Society:

FALLS CHURCH, VA, 20 JUNE 2023—The National Genealogical Society (NGS) announced Leslie Anderson, MSLS, and Kristi L. Sexton will serve as new co-managers of the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP). The institute is a leading provider of in-person and virtual genealogical education. Anderson and Sexton will begin their tenure on 1 October 2023 when NGS officially assumes management of GRIP. Both Anderson and Sexton have long had a connection with GRIP.

Anderson, a recently retired reference librarian in the Local History/Special Collections Branch at Alexandria Library, in Alexandria, Virginia, has completed ten courses at GRIP. Over the years, she also has studied at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research and the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records, Gen-Fed. She co-authored Alexandria and was project editor for the Virginia Slave Births Index, 1853-1865. She won the NGS Family History Writing Contest in 2013 and has written forNGS Quarterly, The Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, and VGS Newsletter. Anderson recently launched the blog 1st U.S. Colored Cavalry. She is the owner of Anderson Historic Research LLC and a member of several genealogical societies, including NGS. She received her Master of Science in Library Science from Case Western Reserve University.

Sexton is a professional genealogist, researcher, educator, and speaker. She, too, has taken many courses at GRIP and has been a tech host for its virtual courses for the past three years. She is past-president of Orange County California Genealogical Society and a former professor in the Family History Department at Brigham Young University-Idaho. An alumna of ProGen 42 (2020), Sexton holds a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University, and has completed numerous courses at Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research in Georgia, and Texas Institute of Genealogical Research. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), NGS, and many local and regional genealogical societies. She received her Master of Science in Auditing/Accounting from Texas A&M. She owns One Leaf Genealogy, LLC.

GRIP was founded by Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, and Deborah Lichtner Deal. Both will continue to serve as ambassadors and on the GRIP steering committee. Since 2011, the institute has welcomed some 5,000 students in more than 170 courses. GRIP will be part of NGS’s education department led by Education Director Angela McGhie, CG, FUGA.

"We are pleased to welcome Kristi and Leslie to our education team," said Matt Menashes, CAE, executive director of NGS. "They will be a powerhouse team and ensure that GRIP continues to advance student learning through exceptional courses that merge in-depth scholarly presentations with shared problem-solving."