Karen Clifford is founder and president of Genealogy Research Associates, Inc., as well as first vice president of the Utah Genealogical Association Board of Directors. Prior to working as an Accredited Genealogist in Midwestern States Research, Clifford specialized in southern states and Scandinavian research. Clifford has authored several family histories and textbooks including Genealogy and Computers for the Complete Beginner: A Step by Step Guide that will aid any interested novice in researching their family history. This was followed by Genealogy and Research for the Advanced Researcher: Pulling It All Together (1995) and Becoming An Accredited Genealogist: Plus 100 Tips to Ensure… Your Success (1998). Clifford also edited and illustrated Tidewater Families of the New World and Their Westward Migration. Clifford is a member of the California State Genealogy Alliance where she is also the editor of the organization's Newsletter. She is an instructor in the Associates Degree programs in Library Science-Genealogy and Computers at Hartnell College in Salinas, California, and Monterey Peninsula College in Monterey, California.