Marsha Hoffman Rising (1945-2010) was a professional genealogist with more than twenty-five years of experience who specialized in problem-solving related to nineteenth-century research. She served on a number of boards for genealogical organizations, including the Board for Certification of Genealogists, the New England Historic Genealogical Society, and the Federation of Genealogical Societies. Marsha was known for her problem-solving lectures, and began teaching practical and effective methods for solving genealogical problems in 1981. During her time as a genealogy educator, she lectured at multiple National Genealogical Society and Federation of Genealogical Societies conferences, as well as at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. She was awarded the National Genealogical Society Award of Merit in 1989 and wrote for publications such as The American Genealogist, Ozar'kin, and National Genealogical Society Quarterly.