I have been looking for a new opportunity for the last couple of weeks, and those that know me, know that I am fairly picky in regards to where I choose to invest my time. I am excited to announce that I have joined Ancestry.com as their Director of Global Social Media and Customer Engagement. The people I will be working with were a big part of the reason I ultimately chose Ancestry.com over other the opportunities I was exploring (more on that to follow).
It also feels like they respect (and encourage) a real work+life balance, which is something I really need to get better at.
One of my goals is to connect the global community of amateur and professional genealogists at Ancestry.com, both internally and externally, and I feel the work I have done growing Social Media Club over the last seven years has provided the perfect experience to be successful here.
In addition to managing Ancestry.com’s engagement strategy and social media channels, I will be working closely with Marketing, Product Management and Support to improve the service and its value for existing customers while helping more people find the joys of history through their personal family trees.
I am, however, more then just a new employee. I started building my family tree years ago and have been an avid user for the past year and a half, which makes this an amazing fit. It’s a service I know very well, and for which I am already an evangelist.
While there are still a few breaks in the lineage, it has been a blast to dig into the records and discover things like the town of Wellsburg, New York was founded by my 5th great grandfather, Abner Wells. It is a tiny little town in Chemung County, but it is our town, and I might just have to pay it a visit one day to stake my rightful claim. 🙂 I also found a long line of French relatives on my mom’s side who settled in New Orleans and probably explains the connection I feel with that city. Or it could have been the Pimm’s Cup, but I would like to believe it was the family history that drew me there.
As the journey begins today, I am looking forward to meeting the members of my new community. If you aren’t already a member, I hope you might consider joining me and the millions of others who are exploring their family histories with me.
