Ronald O. Barney is the former executive director of the Mormon History Association. He worked for thirty-three years as an archivist and historian before retiring from the LDS Church History Department in 2011. He was associate editor of the Joseph Smith Papers and executive producer of the Joseph Smith Papers television series. His books on Mormon history have won several awards. He lives in North Salt Lake, Utah, with his wife, Marilyn. They have three children and ten grandchildren.