Writing Team Manager at AncestryProGenealogists

Erika Manternach

Erika Manternach has a diverse background in the fields of broadcast journalism, education, and family history, but her pursuits have always centered on writing and sharing engaging, memorable stories. She started her career in TV news, serving for 10 years as a reporter and anchor in Rapid City, South Dakota; South Bend, Indiana; and Salt Lake City, Utah. In 2009, she returned to the printed word as a high school English and journalism teacher. Missing the experience of writing stories herself, she joined AncestryProGenealogists in 2015 and helped create the family history narrative as a new offering for clients. She has since written dozens of family stories and legacy books, and her skills as an oral history interviewer are in high demand. She holds bachelor's degrees in both communications and music from the College of Saint Benedict in Minnesota, and in 2017 earned a Certificate in Copyediting through the University of California-San Diego. She now manages the writing team for the AncestryProGenealogists publications division and continues to write stories and interview clients herself. She believes well-crafted storytelling can change families—and therefore the whole world—in uplifting and meaningful ways.