Connection is the mission. SPARK™ is the method. Social skills are the tools.
Deborah is an internationally recognized civility and etiquette expert. She is founder and CEO of Final Touch, a company specializing in social skills training. With nearly 40 years of experience, Deborah is a sought-after speaker, corporate trainer, consultant, television personality, and author. A civility pioneer, Deborah developed unique social skills curriculum focused on relationship building that culminates in a single question: How do you want to be remembered? ™
Deborah’s passion is to equip people from all walks of life with the skills necessary to cultivate connection. Her clients confidently evaluate and respond to business and social environments—whether formal or informal—with grace and ease. Deborah designs and delivers courses on topics such as civility, etiquette, communication, and impression management. Through customized programs and one-on-one consulting, Deborah partners with individuals and organizations across the country and around the world. Her classes instill confidence, enabling professionals to better represent themselves and their organizations.
Deborah’s Story
As a teenager, Deborah believed that everyone knew a secret that she did not know: what to wear, what to do, what to say, and how to meaningfully connect with people. She discovered that social skills—like any other skill—must be learned, and she passionately pursued an intricate understanding of this skill set. In 1989, Deborah launched Final Touch in Seattle, Washington, determined to provide more than a traditional finishing or charm school.
Deborah was mentored by the legendary Letitia Baldrige, who was social secretary to the American ambassadors in Paris and Rome, and Chief of Staff for Jacqueline Kennedy. Deborah is a Certified Protocol, Etiquette and Civility Professional (CPECP), a Certified Professional Coach (CPC), and one of only 86 Certified Image Professionals in the world (AICI CIP).
As a Founding Director for the Institute of Image Training and Testing International (IITTI), Deborah partnered with six of the world’s top etiquette and image experts to create the first-ever global standardized certification on soft skills. Deborah also co-founded the Global Protocol, Etiquette & Civility Academy (GPEC), and is a Founding Member of the Association of Image Consultants International Civility Counts Project, which established May as Global Civility Awareness Month on Chase’s Calendar of Events.
Deborah is a reliable resource to the media, author of More Than Lipstick, and a co-author of Modern Etiquette for Youth, Image Power, Executive Etiquette Power, and The Power of Civility. Her speaking style is warm and engaging. Deborah’s clients describe her as a “dynamic” and “inspiring” speaker that has a “genuine desire to educate,” and whose knowledge “helps us all to remember [that] how we act and how we dress will leave a lasting impression with everyone we meet.”
A Seattle native, Deborah currently lives on a farm near Dallas, Texas with her husband. When she is not teaching, you can find Deborah cooking, traveling, and spending time with her granddaughters.
