Anne Orsi
Anne Orsi is a semi-retired lawyer who would much rather be climbing trees – family trees, that is – than litigating anything. Although she was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, went to college in New York, and maintains close ties to the East Coast, she has spent most of her life in Arkansas, where her mother’s family has roots dating to the 1850s. As often as she can, Anne takes genealogy road trips north and east to trace both sides of her family and to visit her cousins and friends. She has been passionately engaged in genealogical research for nearly 35 years. Boston University awarded her a certificate in Genealogical Research in 2018.
As a full-time lawyer, she was active in various bar associations and their committees. She was president of the Arkansas Association of Women Lawyers, chaired the Domestic Relations committee for the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association, and was recognized for her work in juvenile justice and with victims of domestic violence. In 2011, Anne began devoting less time to litigation and more to community-based issues. She stepped up her volunteerism. She has advised or served on nonprofit boards focused on social and political issues, including Lucie’s Place and the Arkansas Society of Freethinkers. She has served on the boards of several organizations dedicated to history and historic preservation, including the Mount Holly Cemetery Association and the Historic Arkansas Museum. Anne has been the Registrar for the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America (NSCDA) in Arkansas since 2013, and has been on the boards of her DAR Chapter and Scott Connections.
When she’s not tracing family history or volunteering, Anne can be found puttering in her garden of mostly native and edible plants, reading the next book for one of her four book clubs, testing recipes, creating something in her sewing studio, and screaming into the void about current events.