He received his law degree (JD) from Vanderbilt University School of Law and his undergraduate degree (BS, Economics) from Auburn University. He also received a master's degree (LL.M, Taxation) from the University of Alabama School of Law. Ben is a former adjunct instructor of Business Law at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. From 1992 to 1994, Ben was president of the Alabama Genealogical Society (AGS) and continues to serve as legal advisor to AGS. He is the author of the "Court and Legal Records" chapter of Printed Sources: A Guide to Published Genealogical Records. He is a coordinator and lecturer at Samford University's Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) where he has been on the faculty since 1992. Ben has served on the NGS Board of Directors since 2012 and as NGS Vice President since 2014. He resides in Birmingham, Alabama.