TxSGS Leadership Forum: A Fresh Start as Fall Begins
Throughout the year, TxSGS offers Leadership Forums as opportunities arise to address topics of interest to genealogy society leaders. Each virtual forum focuses on practical solutions, shared experiences, and ideas that help societies strengthen their organizations and better serve their members.
Leading a genealogy society can be rewarding—but it also comes with challenges. The TxSGS Leadership Forum brings together society officers, board members, committee chairs, and volunteers to learn from experienced presenters, exchange ideas with peers, and discover practical approaches that can be adapted for societies of every size.
Leadership Forum – August 29
This Leadership Forum focuses on two challenges shared by nearly every genealogy society: attracting and retaining members and managing society operations efficiently. Whether your society has 25 members or 500, you’ll leave with practical ideas you can begin using right away.
Who Should Attend?
- Society presidents and vice presidents
- Board members
- Membership chairs
- Program and education chairs
- Newsletter and website editors
- Volunteers interested in society leadership
Program
Cheri Hudson Passey
Membership Matters: Welcoming, Engaging, and Retaining Members
Every genealogy society wants to attract new members—but keeping them engaged is just as important. Discover practical strategies for creating a welcoming environment, encouraging participation, and building lasting connections that strengthen your society.
Cheri Hudson Passey is a professional genealogist, instructor, writer, and speaker. She is the owner of Carolina Girl Genealogy, LLC and the host of the genealogy chat show GenFriends. Cheri is also a genealogical researcher, subcontracted by Eagle Investigative Services, Inc. for the US Army Past Conflict Repatriations Project. Cheri writes the blog “Carolina Girl Genealogy” where she has shared genealogy tips, methodologies, and family stories for over 10 years. She is a member of the National Genealogical Society and a past president of The Grand Strand Genealogy Club, where she currently serves as program chair. Cheri previously served as secretary for the Federation of Genealogical Societies before the merger with NGS, where she now serves as vice president of Society & Organization Management.
Charles Stricklin
Affordable Software Designed to Run Your Society
Discover SocietyPress, an open-source software platform created specifically for genealogy societies. Learn how it can help manage memberships, dues, events, publications, and your website from a single system—with no software license fees or per-member charges.
Charles Srticklin is 1st Vice President and Director of Education for the San Antonio Genealogical and Historical Society. He is also the creator of SocietyPress, a free open-source platform specifically designed for use by genealogical and historical societies to manage their membership, programs, events, and more. SocietyPress is built around the principal that the person using it may be a volunteer with limited technical expertise. Targeted for use by volunteers, it offers a complete solution for society management that’s easy to use with minimal time and cost. Learn more about SocietyPress at the TxSGS Leadership Forum on August 29.
Discussion
Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions, exchange ideas, and learn from other genealogy society leaders during the program.
Event Details
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- Date and time:
- Saturday, August 29, 2026
- 9:00 a.m. – Zoom Event is open
- 9:15 a.m. – Speakers begin
- Cheri Hudson Passey
- Charles Stricklin
- Venue/Platform (registration required):
- Zoom
- Free for genealogy society leaders
- Registration link for August 29
- Date and time:
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- Recording
- Session will be recorded and available for replay following the event
- Recording
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If you have any questions, please email president@txsgs.org.