Connie Pearson was born in Athens, Alabama in 1950. Except for four years that she served as a missionary in Ecuador, Alabama has been her home. She is a freelance travel writer, blogger, and author of Telling It on the Mountain: 52 Days in the Life of an Improbable Missionary. Connie was the 2021 recipient of the Chairman's Cup Award, given by the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association to a travel writer who has demonstrated long-standing support for the region and its tourism activities.