Esther Camacho
Esther Camacho is a retired librarian and accomplished genealogist with a deep specialization in genealogical and historical research. Her enduring passion for uncovering the stories behind family histories, local communities, and intriguing mysteries was sparked by listening to the narratives shared by her parents and extended family members.
With more than 30 years of experience as a researcher, Esther has developed expertise in Texas border studies, Mexican family history, and local historical research. She is an active member of several distinguished organizations, including the Association of Professional Genealogists, Texas State Genealogical Society, Spanish American Genealogical Association, and Las Villas del Norte Genealogy Group.
Esther regularly presents at local organizations and state conferences, sharing her knowledge on topics such as Hispanic research, cemetery research, and local history. Through her presentations and engagement, Esther continues to inspire others in the pursuit of genealogical and historical discovery.
Amy E.M. Coughlin
Amy Coughlin is a Principal Cloud Author at Pluralsight, a leading platform for professional technology education. She has created more than fifty video-based and live technical courses and hands-on labs on topics including Azure AI Search, Chaos Engineering, and Microsoft certification training. Her learners range from business professionals to data scientists and software engineers, and she is known for making complex technical concepts accessible through clear structure, light humor, and practical examples. Before joining Pluralsight, Amy worked as a data platform architect, guiding teams in the same large-scale technologies that support online trees, full-text search, and image processing on today’s genealogical platforms.
A committed family historian, Amy has expanded her long-standing hobby into serious study. She recently completed the NGS Advanced Topics in Genealogy course and is preparing for certification through the Board for Certification of Genealogists. She also volunteers as the Callahan County coordinator for the TXGenWeb Project.
Sarah Day
Sarah Day, AG®, is a professional genealogist, researcher and presenter. She received her accreditation from ICAPGen in the U.S. Southwest and her bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in Genealogy- Family History. Sarah has expertise in United States research, especially in the Colonial era, and in doing African American research. Additionally, she has experience with DNA and research in Europe and South America. She has experience at onsite repositories and libraries, and volunteers at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake. Sarah has presented at numerous genealogical conferences and events, along with speaking to many societies and groups, including at Rootstech for the last 5 years. She currently serves on the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) Board of Directors. Serving and learning within the genealogical community are important to Sarah and have led her to contribute to the DPAA Repatriation Project along with the Century of Black Mormons Project.
Linda Debe
Linda Debe is a lecturer, published writer, and a lifelong student with 35 years of genealogy research experience. She holds an AAS in Electronics Technology from the USAF. She is enrolled in ProGen 54 and is studying at the National Institute for Genealogical Studies. She is a member of several genealogy societies and has attended both national conferences and week-long institutions to further her genealogical education. Linda volunteers as VGA’s technology virtuoso assisting them with their annual conference. Because of her love for technology, she has created a “free to everyone” genealogy calendar on Google (thesleeplessgenealogist.com/calendar) which lists various organizations’ free and fee-based genealogical programming for all levels. Being Microsoft Office certified in Access and Excel, she utilizes that training to create automated spreadsheets, to help with genealogy research. She is referred to by her friends as “The Sleepless Genealogist” and now has a website with the same name.
Diana Elder
Diana Elder AG®, AGL™ is a professional genealogist accredited in the Gulf South region and serves on the advisory board for The International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen). She is the author of Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist’s Guide and co-author of Research Like a Pro with DNA, which have helped thousands of researchers strengthen their genealogical methodology. With her daughter Nicole, Diana has built a comprehensive educational platform teaching the Research Like a Pro methodology through study groups, an interactive eCourse, and the Research Like a Pro Genealogy Podcast. She shares research strategies on Family Locket (familylocket.com), making professional-level techniques accessible to genealogists worldwide. A sought-after speaker, Diana presents regularly at RootsTech, the National Genealogical Society Conference, and institutes, as well as genealogy societies throughout the United States and internationally.
Nancy Gilbride Casey
Nancy Gilbride Casey, genealogical researcher and writer, has been researching her family roots since the early 2000s. She began her family history blog Leaves on the Tree in 2018 to share her discoveries. Nancy’s articles has appeared in genealogical publications in Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, New York, and Ontario, Canada. Nancy also writes a monthly post for the Denton County Public Library’s genealogy and local history blog, and regularly writes articles for TxSGS’s journal Stirpes. She is the former editor of the Denton County Genealogical Society’s DCGS News, which was recognized in 2023, 2024, and 2025 as the top newsletter for Texas genealogical societies with less than 500 members. She is a member of the National Genealogical Society, TxSGS, and several state and local genealogical and historical societies. She currently serves as TxSGS’s District 1 representative. She lives in Tioga, Texas, with her husband, Jim.
Debbie Gurtler
Debbie Gurtler, AG®, graduated with honors from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree in Family History. She has made research trips to Spain, Portugal, Virginia, and North Carolina. Fluent in Spanish, she can also read genealogical documents in Portuguese, Italian, and French. Debbie holds five AG® credentials they include the U.S. Mid-South region, Spain, Mexico, Chile, and Portugal.
Jean Wilcox Hibben
Jean Wilcox Hibben; PhD, MA, former So. Cal. college speech professor (MA – Speech Communication; PhD – Folklore), is a national speaker and author. A member of the DAR, she is the former director and current family history consultant for the Corona, CA FamilySearch Center, has worked on background research for two genealogy television programs, and was a host for podcasts on social history. A former Board-Certified genealogist with over 45 years of research experience, she is a former board member of APG and past president of its So. Cal. Chapter; current 1st Vice-president of the Corona Genealogical Society, as well as webmaster for that same organization; and participant on a number of other society boards. Jean writes the “Aunty Jeff” column for the Informer, the newsletter of the Jefferson County NY Genealogical Society. Her website: circlemending.org, Blog: circlemending.blogspot.com, Facebook ID: https://www.facebook.com/Circlemending/.
Daniel Horowitz
Dedicated to Genealogy since 1986, Daniel was the teacher and the study guide editor of the family history project “Searching for My Roots” in Venezuela for 15 years. He participates in several crowdsource digitization and transcription projects, and holds a board-level position at The Israel Genealogy Research Association (IGRA). Since 2006 Daniel has been working at MyHeritage consulting with genealogy societies, bloggers, and media, as well as lecturing, and attending conferences around the world.
Tina LaFreniere
Tina LaFreniere is the founder and CEO of Related Faces Technologies. Tina began her genealogical journey over 17 years ago and along the way she has inherited thousands of photos from her family, hundreds with no identification. These photos were the inspiration for Related Faces. Tina is a board member for the Comal County Genealogical Society of Texas, a member of the National Genealogical Society, as well as several other genealogical societies across the U.S. Related Faces is a Family Search Compatible Solutions Provider and holds two U.S. patents for utilization of facial recognition for genealogical purposes.
J. Mark Lowe
Mark Lowe describes himself as “born to be curious.” He is a professional genealogist, author, and lecturer who specializes in original records and manuscripts throughout the South. Mark enjoys opportunities to share what he has learned over the years through YouTube, Webinars, and Institutes.
He served as the Course Coordinator for ‘Research in the South’ at IGHR (Georgia), SLIG (Utah), and TIGR (Texas), does Webinars for Legacy Family Tree Webinars and has worked on several genealogical television series including Follow Your Past, African American Lives 2, Who Do You Think You Are? and UnXplained Events, and podcasts, including Twice Removed and Blast From My Past.
Mark has published in the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly (APGQ), National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ), FGS’ FORUM. The Longhunter (So. Ky. Genealogical Society), Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society Quarterly, North Carolina Genealogical Quarterly, and other society publications.
Annette Burke Lyttle
Annette Burke Lyttle, CG® owns Heritage Detective, LLC, providing professional genealogical services in research, education, and writing. She speaks on a variety of genealogical topics and loves helping people uncover and share their family stories. Annette is a course coordinator for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. She is a published writer whose research interests include Quaker ancestors and ancestral migrations in the US. She is past president of the Association of Professional Genealogists and editor of The Florida Genealogist.
Allyson Maughan
Allyson, AG®, AGL™ is an Accredited Genealogist and a professional speaker, writer, and consultant. She specializes in photographic record sets, genealogical methodology, and family history writing. She speaks for groups ranging from international to local including Salt Lake Institute for Genealogy and RootsTech. Her writing has been featured in Crossroads Magazine where she shares her ancestors’ lives in the West. A member of the Utah Genealogical Association board, she helps with the magazine and ProTalk webinar content. Find her work and resources on her website rememberingrelatives.weebly.com. Before her genealogy career, she taught high school foreign languages and history.
Rev. David McDonald
Dave Mc Donald, The Preacher Genealogist, has been teaching genealogy since 1980. He specializes in matters of methodology, religious records and transcontinental migration. He presents the series, “Essential Skills for New Genealogists,” for Family Tree Webinars. A retired Protestant minister, Dave notes that if you’re not having while fun doing genealogy… you’re doing it wrong! With Billie Stone Fogarty, he is the founder of The Genealogy Symposium, an archives-based, hands-on program to expose researchers to the joys and pitfalls of in-depth, in-person research.
Margaret McMahon
With a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering and as a ProGen 46 graduate, I bring a strong academic and technical foundation to my work as a genealogy educator, researcher, and author. My expertise supports presentations on artificial intelligence, military history research, technology, and education. My speaking career began in university classrooms teaching undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, and presenting to national and international technical conferences before broadening into genealogy education. I have delivered over 150 lectures at genealogical societies across the United States, at local and regional conferences, and for RootsTech Connect. I research, lecture, and write about genealogy and military history, and have authored several books including researching WWI military members and organizations, and using U.S. Army morning reports. I am the Unofficial Historian for the 51st Pioneer Infantry and contributed a case study to Searching for Sisters. Learn more about my blog, books and lectures at https://aweekofgenealogy.com.
Bernard Meisner
Bernard began researching his family over 35 years ago and enjoys sharing lessons learned from that experience, including his mistakes. Although he knew only one grandparent (his maternal grandfather), he has successfully identified all of his great-great grandparents, several triple- and quadruple-great grandparents, and his Meisner 8th great grandparents. He is co-leader of the Dallas Genealogical Society’s German SIG, and a member of the TxSGS, Germanic, and National Genealogical Societies.
Kelvin L. Meyers
A fifth generation Texan and professional forensic genealogist since 1996, Kelvin is a frequent speaker to genealogical societies and family associations throughout the United States. Kelvin works with attorneys, trust officers, and several mineral companies researching and locating heirs throughout the US and the world. He also specializes in southern brick wall problems for clients.
In 2016 Kelvin published Research in Texas for NGS (National Genealogical Society) Research in the States series. The Dallas Genealogical Society awarded Kelvin the Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck Distinguished Service Award in December of 2018. The Texas State Genealogical Society made Kelvin a fellow of society in 2023. Kelvin is the immediate past director of the Texas Institute of Genealogical Research (TIGR).
He recently wrote the chapter, “Mineral Interest and the Forensic Genealogist” for the recently published book Forensic Genealogy Theory and Practice. Kelvin is the historian and archivist for First United Methodist Church Dallas.
Gail Jackson Miller
Gail Jackson Miller, CG is a professional genealogist, teacher, writer, and lecturer specializing in Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee with more than 40 years of genealogical experience. She became certified by the Board for Certification of Genealogists in 1999 and has more than 25 years working with clients in their families. She has spoken and taught nationally at NGS, FGS, IGHR, SLIG, TIGR, in the SLIG Academy, and virtually for MyHeritage/Legacy, in addition to her work regionally and locally as a speaker and editor, in society leadership, and as a FamilySearch Center coordinator. In her prior life, she was a nationally recognized biology teacher working with high school and college students. Her academic training was in biology and experimental psychology, resulting in an M.S. and M.A.Ed. Gail is a native of western Kentucky currently living in Bowling Green.
Tameka Susberry Miller
Tameka Susberry Miller earned an undergraduate degree in psychology and Spanish and obtained a doctoral degree in counseling psychology. Over the last twenty years, she has served her family as a homeschool teacher and community as a licensed psychologist and educator. As a genealogist, Tameka has helped others get to know themselves and their families better through her research, instructional articles, and presentations. She is a southern girl to her core, having spent much of her childhood in her mother’s Creole community in southwest Louisiana and in Texas near her father’s family. Tameka treasures God, her husband, and four children, as well as the extended relatives who have inspired her love for family and genealogy research.
Laurel Neuman
Laurel Neuman is a Research Specialist at the Texas General Land Office. She graduated from Texas State University-San Marcos with a B.A. in History and has devoted her nearly twenty-year career to exploring the stories preserved at the GLO. In this role, Laurel conducts extensive independent research across many facets of the archival collection and is recognized as a trusted source of knowledge on Texas land records and GLO history.
In her role in the GLO Archives, she assists patrons with reference inquiries and leads tours that highlight the richness of the agency’s archives. With a passion for connecting people to their roots, Laurel is dedicated to making the GLO’s records accessible and meaningful for anyone exploring their Texas heritage.
Laurel Neuman’s research spotlights an overlooked 1870s land grant program that empowered Black Texans to claim homestead land grants. By triangulating data from GLO files, census records, and other collections, this ongoing research has identified more than 500 Black preemption claimants. This presentation outlines historical background, research methods, key findings, and practical guidance for working across diverse historical data sets.
Andrew Redfern
Andrew Redfern is an Australian family historian, educator, and international speaker specializing in genealogy, technology, and storytelling. A board member of the Society of Australian Genealogists, he presents widely on artificial intelligence, digital skills, research methods, and creative approaches to sharing family history. Andrew has spoken for leading organizations and conferences in Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States, including RootsTech, Legacy Family Tree Webinars, the Association of Professional Genealogists, the Society of Genealogists, and Texas State Genealogical Society. His presentations combine sound genealogical methodology with practical demonstrations, engaging case studies, and examples drawn from his own research. Alongside his speaking, Andrew develops courses and writes on how modern tools can help family historians organize, analyze, and communicate their research more effectively.
Diane L. Richard
Provides professional genealogical services, including research, lectures, and writing. Longtime editor of the NC Genealogical Society journal. Author of 600+ articles and many talks about the availability and richness of underutilized genealogically relevant records with a focus on southern, enslaved/FPOC, and women. She also provides research tips, techniques, tools, strategies, etc. Owner of MosaicRPM, co-owner of GenWebinars and Tar Heel Discoveries, and Vice President of NC Historical Records Online (NCHRO).
David Ryan
David Ryan is a genealogist, speaker and oral historian based in Cork city, Ireland. He has worked as a professional genealogist for the past decade. He currently serves as a member of the executive board of directors for the Association of Professional Genealogists. He has also worked with Past Preservers as one of their guest speakers on board numerous cruise ships, specializing in offering cruise guests’ presentations on Irish history and genealogy. David recently completed a master’s degree in public history and Cultural Heritage at the University of Limerick.
John Sellers
John A. Sellers is a fifth generation native to Hopkins County, Texas. He graduated from Texas Tech University, with a degree in advertising/public relations and, received his teaching certificate in history from East Texas A & M. He has been doing genealogical research since 1985 and lecturing since 1991.
He is an active member of the Hopkins County Genealogical Society and has served many years as President. He has been the featured speaker for more than 70 all day seminars. John has given over 250 programs on genealogy and history. He has completed several courses at the Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research. John is a lecturer at the Institute of Genealogical Research. He was also a featured speaker at TIGR since 2019.
He is semi-retired from City National Bank and serves as the Travel Director for CNB Destinations. He is serving his fourth term in City Council and has served as Mayor.
Gay Solomon
Gay Solomon, MS, CG, and “Gone To Texas” Certificate holder, is a genealogical and historical speaker and author. A former college lecturer, her presentations are engaging and impactful. Her goal is to help others discover the whole story of a person and the time in which they lived by including contemporaneous first-person accounts in the research. These accounts include travelogues, diaries, court papers, petitions, and pensions. Gay’s economics and history backgrounds inform her expertise in migration patterns, economic trends, farming tenure, federal road, military unit histories, and research methodology.
Specializing in records from the 18th, 19th, and early 20th Century Southeastern United States and Texas she has published multiple articles in Stirpes and other genealogical society magazines. She has also spoken (live or pre-recorded) for state-level events such as the TxSGS Family History Conferences and Georgia State Society NSDAR as well as at various lineage and civic society meetings.
Michelle L Spencer
Michelle L. Spencer, owner of RomaMaryGrace Historical Research, is an historian and professional genealogist specializing in family business research, small towns, and historic preservation. With more than 30 years of experience, Michelle has lectured at major genealogical institutions and the WWI Museum & Memorial in Kansas City. She has co-authored over 60 National Register of Historic Places nominations, and her work has appeared on Who Do You Think You Are? and Finding Your Roots. Find her at romamarygrace.com or on YouTube @romamarygrace1909.
C. Ann Staley
Ann Staley, CG®, CGL®, is an educator and consultant and has spoken regionally, nationally, and at sea. She is the Membership Chair for the Genealogical Speakers Guild; on the faculty of the International Institute for Genealogical Studies; and as a volunteer of the National Genealogical Society and the Florida State Genealogical Society. She served previously on the board of the Association of Professional Genealogists and as the Education Chairman for the Jacksonville Genealogical Society, Inc. She is the compiler of the Jacksonville Genealogical Society, Inc. Quarterly Full Name Index, Volumes 1-4, 1973-1976, the author of several articles for the NGS Magazine, and the co-author of the NGS Research in the States Series-Florida. Ann has been researching her family from Alabama, Mississippi, Indiana, and Virginia to France, England, Ireland, and Germany. Her specialties are methodology, vital records, computer research resources, and conference planning.
Becky Stephens
Becky is a professional genealogist who holds the Certified Genealogist® credential. She has a diverse background in genealogical research and education, including over 20 years of professional experience in genealogy research, volunteer work with lineage societies, and genealogy mentorship. Known for her precision and persistence in handling historical records, she applies advanced research methodologies and source analysis to uncover details about those she researches. Becky currently serves on the National DAR Lineage Committee, is a DAR chapter registrar, mentors for the National Genealogical Society’s Advanced Genealogy Courses, and is a member of the BCG Webinar Committee.
Becky’s passion for genealogy began in childhood, inspired by the stories her mother shared about her ancestors. She became deeply curious about her ancestors and began gathering and organizing information about their lives. What began as a personal interest grew into helping friends and clients discover their own family histories.
Paula Stuart-Warren
Genealogical educator, researcher, and consultant focusing on unusual resources, manuscripts, methodology, and analyzing records. She also specializes in railroads, the WPA, and Native American records and is a coordinator and instructor for GRIP Genealogy Institute, instructor for IGHR, and in other institutes including TIGR. Continues to present seminars and webinars across the U.S. and Canada. She is a former member of the boards of several local and national genealogical organizations. She is descended from eight ancestral countries and has researched family connections across the U.S. and Canada. She has her own educational website and blog at http://genealogybypaula.com and is enthusiastic about sharing knowledge and continuing education.
Edward Swierczewski
Ed has been a professional educator and genealogist for over 30 years, completed multiple academy courses, is a ProGen alum, and has presented at multiple venues. He founded Integrative Genealogy LLC and serves as its Chief Genealogical Officer. Ed possesses a deep passion for sharing his knowledge with others.
Rachel Trotter
Rachel has been telling stories since she could walk and talk. As a little girl, she would draw for hours and make up stories to go along with her artwork. Before coming to Evalogue.Life, she worked as a newspaper reporter for 17 years at Ogden’s local newspaper, The Standard-Examiner. She reported on heavy topics ranging from heated city elections to local school issues. But her love for writing about people’s life stories and their triumphs over tragedy captured her heart.
She loves family storytelling. A graduate of Weber State University, she has had articles featured on LDSLiving.com, lds.org, FamilySearch.org and Meridian Magazine. She has been a speaker at RootsTech, Weber State University Family History Conference, Conference on Family History at BYU and the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree. She helps people tell and write their life stories and has written six life stories with several more in production. She has also helped several others write their own stories. She and her husband Mat have six children and she recently became a grandma! She and her family live on East Bench in Ogden, Utah.”
Pam Vestal
Pam Vestal is a professional genealogist and national speaker who turned her focus to her longtime love of genealogy after a 20-year writing career. Her articles have appeared in the National Genealogical Society Magazine and The Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly, and her lectures take her from coast to coast. Pam specializes in conducting genealogical research and then transforming that information into illustrated stories that even non-genealogists can enjoy.
Natalie Webb
Natalie Webb lives where technology and genealogy meet, and she’s happiest helping people feel less intimidated by both. After spending decades as a project manager and technical trainer, she realized that genealogists were often asked to master digital tools, often without clear guidance or plain-language explanations.
Through her business, Family Tree Technology, she is on a mission to help genealogists make sense of online research platforms, data organization, and emerging tech without feeling overwhelmed. She brings a genealogist’s mindset to technology and a technologist’s structure to genealogy, translating complex ideas into practical, usable steps that fit real research workflows.
Natalie writes, teaches, and speaks for genealogical audiences who want to build skills with confidence. Known for her friendly, down-to-earth approach, she believes technology should support good research, not get in the way. Natalie enjoys collaborating with organizations who share her goal of making modern genealogy more accessible, effective, and fun.”
Randy Whited
Randy Whited is a professional genealogist with over thirty years of research experience. With a background in the natural sciences, he has also had a career in information technology and business intelligence.
Ari Wilkins
Ari Wilkins, FTxSGS is a genealogist, lecturer and instructor who has been actively researching family history for over twenty-five years. Ms. Wilkins is a graduate of Louisiana State University. She speaks on a variety of genealogical subjects and specializes in African American research and Southern research.
As a lecturer, Ms. Wilkins has spoken nationally at the National Genealogical Society, the Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research, the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, RootsTech, and a multitude of state and local societies. She has also led the African American course for the Texas Institute of Genealogical Research for the past three years.
Ari is active in the genealogical community. Previously, she served as a board member of the Dallas Genealogical Society and the Texas State Genealogical Society. She has been active with the National Genealogical Society and served on numerous committees.