Presenter Profile: Debra Mieszala

Debra Mieszala, Certified Genealogist(SM), has been involved in genealogical research for over 25 years. Much of her work involves locating family members of past war MIAs for the Army and Air Force. She formerly worked under court order as a certified Confidential Intermediary (CI) in Illinois, assisting people in adoption situations to reconnect. Debbie is earning a certificate in paralegal studies.

In addition to presenting at the national conference level, she has taught classes at SLIG. Her articles have been published in _OnBoard!_, _NGS Magazine_, and _The Digital Genealogist_.

Debbie was a host society representative for the NGS 2006 Chicago conference, and had an active role as Registration Chair. She created, maintained, and contributed much content for the CGC/NGS conference blog.

She is looking forward to another visit to Salt Lake City!

She is teaching "The Curious Case of the Disappearing Dude" on Thursday at 2:30, "Two Dan Dyes: Correcting Past Errors with Solid Evidence" on Saturday at 11 am and "Patently Unique: Locating Patent Records Online and Off" on Saturday at 4pm.

Presenter Profile: Laura Prescott

Laura G. Prescott is a professional researcher, writer, and speaker. She worked for the New England Historic Genealogical Society for seven years before starting her own research business. Originally from Charleston, West Virginia, she has lived in New England for over thirty years.

Laura graduated with a B.A. in History from Dartmouth College in 1980, ultimately putting her degree to good use over a decade later when she discovered a latent passion for genealogy.

Laura is the president of the Association of Professional Genealogists, genealogy project manager for the Nickerson Family Association, and a consultant for Footnote.com. She lectures and writes for national audiences on a variety of genealogical topics. Her specialties include the use of manuscripts in genealogical research, genealogy on the Internet, genealogy for Mac users, and merging history with genealogy.

Her articles have appeared in Ancestry, New England Ancestors, Genealogical Computing, NGS NewsMagazine, and Digital Genealogist.

Laura is teaching "Diving Deeper into the Unique Records on Footnote.com" on Saturday at 9:30 am.

Presenter Profile: Kory Meyerink

Kory Meyerink has been involved in nearly every aspect of genealogy and family history for the past 20 years, beginning as a record searcher while attending Brigham Young University where he received an Associate in Family and Local History, as well as a B.S. in Psychology. He later completed a Masters of Library and Information Science. Spending two years in Germany gave him a fluency that has served him well in his professional research. He became accredited in four areas (Germany, Midwest, Eastern and New England U.S.), specializing in tracing the origins of German and Dutch immigrants, before joining the staff of the Family History Library as a reference consultant.

Later, as the library’s publication coordinator, he developed instructional and reference material for the thousands of Family History Centers supported by the library. He also served as the primary content consultant for the PBS Ancestors television series. In his recent work developing electronic products, Kory’s tasks included serving as product manager for the LDS Family History Suite and also developed the largest genealogical gazetteer and largest genealogical bibliography available on CD-ROM.

As a teacher, Kory has spoken at many local, state, and national genealogical conferences throughout the U.S. and Canada, including NGS, FGS, GENTECH, and, since 1991, the annual BYU Family History Conference. Since 1991, he has also served as adjunct history faculty for that university’s Salt Lake Center. As the founding director of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, he developed one of the nation’s largest such institutes. He has written extensively, including chapters in The Library, both editions of The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, as well as numerous articles and book reviews for the Genealogical Journal, Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly, Genealogical Computing, New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, and The Genealogist.

He also writes for both Ancestry and Heritage Quest magazines. He is the author/presenter of Doing Genealogy: Foundations for Successful Research, an audio presentation with workbook. For his most recent book, Printed Sources: A Guide to Published Genealogical Records (Ancestry: Salt Lake City, 1998), he served as overall editor as well as primary author.

Kory is teaching "Documenting the Overland Journey with Diaries" Wednesday at 2:30 pm, "Has It Already Been Done? German Compiled Records" Friday at 8 am, and "City Directories: More than Just Census Substitutes" Saturday at 2:30 pm.

Presenter Profile: Patricia Shawker

Patricia O'Brien Shawker, CG is a professional genealogist whose interests are Maryland genealogy and research at the National Archives; certified since 1999. She is an alumna of the National Institute on Genealogical Research (NIGR), she received a certificate of completion of the NGS American Genealogy: A Basic Course, and for the Advanced Methodology and Evidence Analysis at Samford University. She has lectured at numerous genealogy conferences including the annual meetings of the National Genealogical Society. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG), the NSDAR, the National Genealogical Society, and the Maryland Genealogical Society. She is a past treasurer of the National Genealogical Society, and a past Assistant Director of NIGR and as been the Director of NIGR since October 2007.

Patricia is teaching "Before Statehood: Territorial Papers" on Wednesday at 2:30 PM, "ABCs of NARA Workshop" on Friday at 2:30 pm and "Passport Applications, 1795–1925" on Saturday at 11 AM.

Presenter Profile: Stephen Danko

Stephen J. Danko, PhD, PLCGS

Steve Danko is a Regulatory Affairs Professional and Professional Genealogist based in San Francisco, California. He is the author of Steve's Genealogy Blog, a daily genealogy research blog that was named one of the 25 Most Popular Genealogy Blogs for 2009 by ProGenealogists and one of the 40 Best Genealogy Blogs for 2010 by Family Tree Magazine.

Steve's genealogy research interests center on Eastern European Genealogy (especially Polish Genealogy), Immigration, and Naturalization. He has conducted research on site in Poland and Lithuania, where he has visited the villages of his ancestors, analyzed court records, census records, and church records at the Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw, the Lithuanian State Historical Archives, and at local parish churches.

Steve's research has led him to an appreciation of history and languages. He has formally studied Latin, German, and Polish, and has acquired a working knowledge of several other languages. He is the administrator for the Danko and Niedzialkowski One-Name Studies and the Danko and Niedzialkowski DNA Projects.

Steve is teaching "Polish Court Records and Census Records" Friday at 9:30 AM.

Presenter Profile: Kelly Summers

Kelly R. Summers is an Accredited Genealogist® Professional. She received her B.A. in Family and Community History from BYU. Her specialty is U.S. research with expertise in U.S. Midwestern. Kelly is also experienced in Spanish & Latin American research. Kelly teaches and lectures on many genealogical topics including methodology, technology, and specific record types found in U.S. and Spanish research. She currently teaches Family History & Genealogy part-time at Brigham Young University. Kelly is serving as a Commissioner for the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen).

Kelly is teaching "Getting to Know ICAPGen" on Saturday at 2:30 PM.

Presenter Profile: Maureen Taylor

Maureen Taylor is an internationally known expert on photo identification. She travels extensively giving presentations on photo identification, photo preservation, and family history. She has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and on NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s The View, and NPR.

She’ll be offering individual consultations at the conference. Email her at mtaylor@taylorandstrong.com for more information. She’ll be signing books at the NEHGS booth during the event.

Maureen is teaching "Kodak Moments and Technicolor Dreams: Twentieth-century Photos in the Family Archive" on Friday at 2:30 pm, "Immigrant Clues in Photographs" on Saturday at 8:00, "From Index Cards to Powerpoint and Beyond" on Saturday at 12:15 and " "Every Picture Tells a Story": Dating Family Photographs" on Saturday at 4:00pm.

Presenter Profile: Bruce Buzbee

Bruce Buzbee is the founder and president of RootsMagic, Inc., and the author of RootsMagic genealogy software. Bruce has been writing genealogy software for over 18 years. Bruce has taught thousands of users the ins and outs of RootsMagic, from the basics for beginners to advanced topics for the genealogy professional. Bruce is also the webmaster of Family-Reunion.com, the world's most popular family reunion planning site.

Bruce is teaching "What's New in RootsMagic 4" Friday at 2:30 pm.

Presenter Profile: Lynda Childers Suffridge

Lynda Childers Suffridge, BSE, MSE, a graduate of the University of Arkansas, completed six hours post-graduate work at the University of Central Arkansas, attended Draughon School of Business, and completed the Dale Carnegie Course in Public Speaking. She is a native and resident of Arkansas, is vice president of the National Genealogical Society Board of Directors, a Life Member of NGS, and serves as chair of the NGS Awards Committee. She currently serves as secretary of the Arkansas Genealogical Society. A twelve year employee, now retired, of the Arkansas History Commission, she is past-president of the Arkansas Genealogical Society, Heritage Seekers, and Arkansas Pioneers. She is author of NGS Research in the States Series: Arkansas; co-editor of the Perry County [Arkansas] Historical & Genealogical Society Newsletter, and co-editor of Perry County, Arkansas: Its Land & People. She was the 2007 winner of the “Arkansas Genealogical Society Family History Writing Contest Bobbie Jones McLane Award” and was presented the 2008 “Arkansas Historical Association Walter L. Brown Award for Best Family History in a Local Journal” for her article “Descendants of Reuben Searcy and Isabella McDonald.” Ms. Suffridge lectures in Course III at the Institute of Genealogy & Historical Research at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, at NGS and FGS Conferences, and to state and local organizations.

She will be presenting lectures on using the United States Census to trace your ancestors in the Beginner Workshops being held on Tuesday and on Saturday mornings.

Presenter Profile: John Colletta

John Philip Colletta is a Washington-based genealogist whose interest in family history goes back to his boyhood in Buffalo. His father's family was Sicilian, his mother's Bavarian, Alsatian and Swiss, and John was curious to learn how all these ancestors happened to converge in western New York. His research began in U.S. records. Then, while a graduate student in Paris, he ventured into the primary sources of Italy, Germany and France.

After serving in the U.S. Army, John completed his Doctorate in Medieval French Literature at the Catholic University of America. From 1984 through 2005 he conducting workshops for the National Archives and taught courses for the Smithsonian Institution. Now he lectures nationally to genealogical, historical and ethnic societies. He is a faculty member of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University in Birmingham, AL, and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy in Salt Lake City, UT. He has also coordinated and taught courses for the National Institute on Genealogical Research at the National Archives (Washington, DC), the Institute of Genealogical Research (Dallas,TX), and the Genealogical Institute of Mid-America (Springfield, IL). His areas of expertise include: tracing families of continental European origin, especially nineteenth century; federal records; and writing a narrative family history that is both a reliable document and a readable story.

Dr. Colletta has published many articles in both popular and scholarly magazines. He contributed the chart "How to Find Your Immigrant Ancestor's Ship" to

a permanent exhibit on Ellis Island, and his related book, They Came in Ships: A Guide to Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor's Arrival Record, first published in 1989 by Ancestry, Inc., Salt Lake City, is now available in an updated and expanded third edition. His book, Finding Italian Roots: The Complete Guide for Americans, first published in 1993 by Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, is now available in an updated and expanded second edition. Only a Few Bones: A True Account of the Rolling Fork Tragedy and Its Aftermath, published in 2000, is a narrative history that reads like a murder mystery; it recounts the mysterious disappearance of a Mississippi ancestor during Reconstruction.

Dr. Colletta has been interviewed on Voice of America--Europe, National Public Radio, and has appeared on local and national television, including NBC's "Today" show. He is featured in Episode Four of "Ancestors," the ten-part KBYU-TV series that aired in 1997, and its sequel that aired in 2000. His national popularity as a speaker may be attributed to the warmth and wit, humor and humanity, that characterize his approach to the adventure of discovering ancestors.

John is teaching "U.S. Naturalization Records, Colonial Times to Early Twentieth-century" at 8:00 am on Thursday, "Passenger Arrival Records: Sources and Strategies for Challenging Cases" at 2:30 on Thursday, and "Naturalization Records: Alternative Sources and Strategies" on Saturday at 8:00am

Presenter Profile: Tom Kemp

Tom Kemp has been working in genealogy for the past 45 years. He is the author of more than 35 books and has lectured around the world. He was a presenter at the first genealogy conference held in China (Shanghai 2001) and has routinely spoken at the National Genealogical Society and local genealogy conferences across the country. Tom is the "Father" of GenealogyBank. He is the 2010 recipient of the American Library Association's GPC Award - the lifetime achievement award for Genealogy Librarians.

Tom is teaching "Genealogy Boot Camp--Twenty-first century Core Resources." on Saturday at 2:30pm.

Presenter Profile: Thomas Shawker

Dr. Thomas Shawker is a physician and has over 200 scientific publications including articles on genetic genealogy. He has spoken at numerous national and state genealogical meetings. Dr. Shawker currently serves as the Chairman of the National Genealogical Society Committee on Genetic Genealogy. He is the author of the book "Unlocking your Genetic History: A Step-by-step Guide to Discovering your Family’s Medical and Genetic Heritage" in the National Genealogical Society book series.

Thomas is teaching "The ABCs of DNA Testing" on Friday at 9:30 and "DNA Testing for Race, Ethnicity, and Ancestry" on Saturday at 2:30.

Presenter Profile: Ronald G. Coleman

Ronald G. Coleman

Before joining the University of Utah faculty in 1973, Dr. Ronald Coleman taught in the San Francisco Unified School District from 1968 to 1970, and at Sacramento City College from 1970-1973.

Dr. Coleman is an associate professor of history and ethnic studies and former coordinator of the Ethnic Studies Program, a post he held from July 1984 to July 1991. He held the position of Associate Vice President for Diversity and Faculty Development from December 1989 to July 1999.

Dr. Coleman received a B.S. degree in sociology at the University of Utah. He received an M.A. degree in social science(history emphasis) California State University, Sacramento, and a Ph.D. degree in history at the University of Utah. R. Coleman was elected to Phi Kappa Phi in 1977.

Professor Coleman’s primary research focus is African American history. He has presented his work at a variety of history and ethnic studies conferences. Dr. Coleman is frequently invited to lecture on topics varying from African American history to contemporary race relations in the United States. His publications include articles on western black history. “Is There No Blessing for Me? Jane Elizabeth Manning James, A Mormon African American Woman” in African American Women Confront the West; “Blacks in Utah: An Unknown Legacy;” in The Peoples f Utah; “The Buffalo Soldiers: Guardians of the Uintah Frontier;” and “Black Pioneers in Utah, 1847-1869.” He has served as an educational consultant for the University of Vermont, California State University, Hayward; Utah Transit Authority, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Trust for Historic Preservation and several school districts in the state of Utah.

Dr. Coleman contributes to the University and larger community. His activities have included membership on the University of Utah Senate; the Athletic Board; the faculty mentoring program; and the faculty affirmative action committee. He is a life member of the NAACP and on the Alberta Henry Education Foundation Board. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Utah Chapter of the National Conference for Community and Justice, Salt Lake County Sports Advisory Board and was a member of the Salt Lake City Civil Service Commission from 1983 to 1993. He currently serves on the Utah State Board of History, the Cottonwood Heights History Committee and the Afro American History and Genealogical Association/Utah Chapter.

Professor Coleman’s contributions to education and community have been recognized by a number of organizations. In 2001 he was inducted into the University of Utah Crimson Club Athletic Hall of Fame. He was the recipient of the Utah Humanities Council’s Governors Award for the year 2000. In 1990 the University of Utah awarded him the Calvin and Jeneal Hatch Prize in Teaching. In 1991 the Salt Lake Chapter of the NAACP named Dr. Coleman the Albert B. Fritz Civil Rights Worker of the Year. In 1993 Dr. Coleman received the Olaudah Equiano Award of Excellence from the University of Utah Ethnic Studies Program. The University of Utah Honors Program recognized Coleman with the Distinguished Honors Professor Teaching Award for the 2005/2006 academic year.

Presenter Profile: Paul Lipinski

Paul R. Lipinski, BS, has been a researcher for over thirty years and has traced most of his ancestral lines to the 1700s. He joined the Polish Genealogical Society of California (PGS-CA) and has served on the Board as President and Vice-President (1996-99) and (2002-2005). Currently he is Editor of the quarterly publication, the Bulletin. He has written articles for PGS-California, PGS-America, and the TRW Genealogical Society (GS). He has organized and chaired conferences sponsored by PGS-California and UPGS (United Polish Genealogical Societies). He is a volunteer-consultant at the Los Angeles Regional Family History Center where he teaches classes and assists people in their research. He has spoken to the PGS-CA, German Research Association, Immigrant GS, FEEFHS, TRW GS, Questing Heirs GS, South Bay Cities GS, Temecula Valley GS, Murrieta GS, Whittier Area GS, Corona GS, Pomona Valley GS, UPGS (United Polish Genealogical Societies), and San Diego GS.

Paul is teaching "Researching in Poland" on Friday at 4:00 pm.

Presenter Profile: Wendy Elliott-Scheinberg

Wendy is a professor of history at California State University, Fullerton. She currently is immediate past president of the Federation of Genealogical Societies and held several positions on its Board of Directors for many years. Wendy also served on the national Records Preservation and Access committee. She completed several terms as president of the California State Genealogical Alliance during the 1980s and 1990s.

She is an internationally known genealogical teacher and beginning in 1984 annually lectures at the NGS and FGS national conferences held throughout the United States. In 2010 she’ll present one lecture in Salt Lake City, and three in Knoxville. In July 2003 Wendy attended the National Institute for Genealogical Research at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Her articles on the War of 1812 will appear in the next two issues of FGS FORUM Online.

Wendy is teaching "California Voter Registrations: A Wealth of Information for Genealogists" at 2:30 pm on Saturday.

Presenter Profile: Howard Bybee

Howard C. Bybee is the Family History Librarian in the Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University. He and his wife Sue, who has a BA in family history, are parents of six children. He is Faculty Advisor for the French section of the Immigrant Ancestors Project. He and his wife have taught Religion 261, Introduction to Family History at BYU. He has spoken about the Lee Library genealogy resources at conferences throughout Utah. He has Masters degrees in French, Anthropology, and Library Science, and has been employed in the Harold B. Lee Library since 1988.

Howard is teaching "Discover Your Heritage at the BYU Library: Catalog and Genealogy Resources" on Thursday at 11:00

Presenter Profile: Pamela K. Sayre

Pamela Boyer Sayre, CG, CGL, is director of education and publications for NGS and coordinator for Samford University’s IGHR Techniques and Technology course. She has also taught in the Advanced Military and Southern Research courses at IGHR and in the Certification/Accreditation course at Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. Pam is co-author of Online Roots: How to Discover Your Family’s History and Heritage with the Power of the Internet (Nashville, TN: Rutledge Hill Press, 2003); Research in Missouri (Arlington, VA: NGS, 1999 & 2007); the Missouri chapter in the third edition of Ancestry’s Red Book (Provo, UT: Ancestry, Inc., 2004), and she was the FGS FORUM’s Digitools columnist for several years. Pam is a former board member of FGS, NGS, and the Genealogical Speakers Guild, past editor of the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly, former chair of APG’s Publications Advisory Committee, and former copy editor of the BCG publication OnBoard.

Born in St. Louis and reared in New Mexico, Pam received a bachelor’s degree with emphasis in sociology, English, and history from Eastern New Mexico University. She completed some coursework toward an MBA (emphasis in Computer Information Systems) from Bentley College, Waltham, Massachusetts. Easily bored in earlier years, Pam worked in law enforcement, personnel administration, and software testing, training, and documentation before following her heart to become a full-time professional genealogist in 1994. She has spoken at genealogy conferences and seminars in thirty states.

Pamela is teaching "Google Earth for Genealogists" on Wednesday at 2:30pm, "Effective Editing and Writing" on Saturday at 9:30 am and "Westward Ho! But How?" on Saturday at 4:00pm.

Presenter Profile: Kip Sperry

Kip Sperry is a professor of family history at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, where he teaches American and LDS genealogical research methods and sources. Kip was born in Chardon, Geauga County, Ohio, holds graduate and undergraduate degrees from BYU, and previously worked at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. He is an Accredited Genealogist, Certified Genealogist, and a Certified Genealogical Lecturer. His national awards include Fellow, American Society of Genealogists; Fellow, National Genealogical Society; and Fellow, Utah Genealogical Association, among others. He received the Richard Lloyd Anderson Research Award from BYU in 2003. Kip is author of A Guide to Mormon Family History Sources; Kirtland, Ohio: A Guide to Family History and Historical Sources; Genealogical Research in Ohio; Reading Early American Handwriting, and other books, chapters, and journal articles. He has lectured at national, regional, and state family history conferences and seminars, including BYU computer and family history conferences. His areas of research interest are American and LDS family history; New England states; Ohio and other Midwestern states; Western Reserve in northeastern Ohio; England, Scotland, Isle of Man family history; and paleography (reading early handwriting).

Kip is teaching "Latter-day Saint Family History Research" Friday at 8:00am, "Tips for Field Research for Family Historians" Friday at 4:00pm, and "Finding Your Ancestors in U.S. Census Records" on Saturday at 8:00 am.

Presenter Profile: J.H. Fonkert

J. H. (‘Jay”) Fonkert is a Certified Genealogist^SM specializing in Midwest and Dutch genealogy.

He is President of the Minnesota Genealogical Society (MGS), as well as a genealogy author and educator. Jay teaches a Beginning Genealogy course in St. Paul (MN) Community Education, is a course coordinator and instructor in the MGS Intermediate Genealogy Course, and has been a Genealogy Help Desk consultant at the Minnesota Historical Society Library. He has lectured on census research, immigration, Dutch genealogy and other topics in Minnesota, Iowa, Florida and Ontario.

He has is a columnist for The Septs, the quarterly journal of the Irish Genealogical Society International and has published articles in Family Chronicle, Minnesota Generalogist, the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, and the NGS Magazine. Jay’s writing earned the 2009 Scholar Award from the American Society of Genealogists, and has three years running won 2^nd or 3^rd place in writing competitions sponsored by the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors.

He has studied advanced research methods and professional genealogy at the Institute for Genealogical and Historical Research at Samford University and English genealogical research at the Salt Lake Genealogy Institute. He has also attended the National Institute for Genealogical Research in Washington, D.C.

He is a Director of the Association of Professional Genealogists, and a member of The Genealogical Speaker’s Guild and the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors.

A stubborn Dutchman, his favorite research topics come from his wife’s family, namely the Fawkners of mid-19^th century Kentucky and Indiana, and the Tidballs of Somerset and Devon, England. He also has done extensive research on Midwestern Dutch immigrants, and has tried his hand at Swedish and Norwegian research.

Outside genealogy, Jay’s volunteer service has included stints as Treasurer and President of Czech and Slovak Sokol Minnesota and as President of the Saint Paul District 1 Community Council. In his real world life, he is the Sr. Workforce Analyst in the Office of Rural Health and Primary Care, in the Minnesota Department of Health.

A graduate of Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, Jay has M.A. degrees in Political Science and Public Affairs from the University of Illinois and the University of Minnesota, respectively, and has completed advanced geography coursework at the University of Minnesota.

Jay is teaching"Anatomy of a Genealogy Research Report: Adding Muscle and Flesh" on Saturday at 2:30 and has graciously

Presenter Profile: Suzanne Russo Adams

Suzanne Russo Adams, MA, AG® specializes in Italian research. She is a Brigham Young University graduate with degrees in sociology and family history/genealogy. Suzanne currently works as the Society Partnership Manager for Ancestry.com and has worked at Ancestry.com for more than 11 years. She currently serves on the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) board, as a commissioner for the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen) and is a former board member of the Utah Genealogical Association (UGA). Suzanne also has a Master’s degree in European History from BYU (December 2008) and she is the author of Finding Your Italian Ancestors: A Beginner’s Guide (2009.)

Suzanne is teaching "What's New at Ancestry.com?" at 11am on Wednesday