Founding Director

Deborah is President of Final Touch Finishing School - the premier finishing school in the United States - which she founded in Seattle, Washington in 1989. Her passion is to equip people from all walks of life with the necessary skills to move confidently from the informal to the formal with ease and grace. She teaches how to evaluate each social and business circumstance, as well as how to respond with appropriate poise and manners based on a variety of cultural considerations. Deborah has over 35 years of experience in the civility, etiquette, and image industry, and is a certified professional coach. In 2010 she co-founded Global Protocol, Etiquette & Civility Academy in Dallas, Texas.

Deborah is a board member for the Image Consultants' Society International (ICSI) serving the Indian Sub-Continent and Middle East. She also serves as a Founding Member for the Association of Image Consultants International (AICI) Civility Counts Project. Deborah has been awarded the AICI Chapter Member of the Year 2009, AICI Civility Star Award 2010 & 2011, the NAPW Executive and Professional Woman of the Year 2010/2011 and Highline Community College's Distinguished Alumnus Award 2010.

Deborah is a published author on civility and etiquette. In addition to her Civility Chat blog she writes a monthly column for Wise Family in North Texas and is a co-author for Image Power, Executive Etiquette Power, and The Power of Civility. Her Etiquette and Portion Plate and book are included in the Johns Hopkins Civility Archives, and her Etiquette Flash Cards won the Gold Mom's Choice Award. Her popular Young Ladies & Gentlemen children's program is now available as an interactive online course.

Deborah serves as a reliable resource to the media and travels extensively both domestically and internationally, teaching her principles of etiquette and poise to individuals aged five to seventy-five. She has served as a consultant to Meadowood Napa Valley since 2003 and has presented programs for public and private schools, churches, associations, and a host of companies. Hailed as the "Queen of Etiquette & Civility", Deborah's warm teaching style is based on the simplicity of kindness and respect for self, others and property. Her classes instill a greater sense of potential and increased confidence for all who attend. A native of Seattle, she currently lives near Dallas, Texas.