2020 TxSGS Conference Speaker Biographies

Altman-Newell, Dannell (Danni)

Dannell “Danni” Altman-Newell is a native Kansas Citian. She began her family history research at an early age, courtesy of spending summers watching her maternal grandparents indexing at the local Family History Center. Danni is currently employed as Director of Operations at the National Storytelling Network and serves as an enthusiastic volunteer for the National World War I Museum and Memorial. A graduate of ProGen and proud member of OES, DAR, APG, and the APG Heartland Chapter, Danni specializes in the Great War, Fraternal Organization, and Midwest research. She can be contacted at danni@talkingboxgenealogy.com.

Calhoun, Nancy

Nancy Calhoun has been chasing relatives for over 40 years. While in Teacher Corps and graduate school in Kansas, she enrolled in a semester-long genealogy class and since that time has been pursuing family, both of her own and others. With a teaching background and 20 years in newspaper work and publishing, she often used her genealogical research skills in the classroom and in writing. Nancy was the Department Head of Genealogy and Local History at Muskogee Public Library in Muskogee, Oklahoma, until January when she went to work for the Oklahoma Historical Society. In addition to area educational opportunities, she has attended several NGS and FGS national conferences. She was the recipient of the librarian scholarship to attend IGHR and the Richard S. Lackey Memorial Scholarship for the 2017 session of Genealogical Institute on Federal Records. Her writings have placed in the annual contests held by the International Association of Family History Writers and Editors.

Memberships include APG, NGS, DAR, United Daughters of the War of 1812, United Daughters of the Confederacy, Oklahoma’s First Families of the Twin Territories, First Families of Wythe County, Virginia, Mayflower Society, and several county and state genealogical organizations. She is a board member of the Oklahoma Genealogical Society and Gen-Fed Alumni. Speaking opportunities have taken her all over Oklahoma and into Arkansas and Texas. Her personal research includes Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, as well as Oklahoma.

de la Vega, Tim

Tim de la Vega …

 

 

 

 

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French, Gale

Gale French has been interested in genealogy for over 30 years; his family and natural curiosity have nurtured this interest in him. He has lived in Texas all his life,  worked for IBM in the US Space program at NASA’s Johnson Space Center for 26 years, and is now retired. Gale’s work with commercial imaging technology and document management has enhanced his genealogy organization and presentation. He has researched and published a 600-page family history book on his grandmother’s Elliott family line that came from England to Texas, fought in the Texas Revolution, and received land for their service. He traced ten generations of Elliotts and their descendants. He published another book on his paternal line, including numerous DNA tests for the French family. An instructor for Y-DNA at DNA-Adoption (http://www.dnaadoption.com/), Gale is on the Board of mitoYDNA.org. He has presented topics at the 2013 Family Search conference on Google Earth and self publishing; the 2014 and 2015 Family Search Conferences in Houston, Texas; and the 2014, 2015, 2019 and the 2020 Roots Tech conferences in Salt Lake City. Gale has received the IBM Outstanding Contribution Award, NASA’s Apollo Achievement Award, and the NASA First Shuttle Flight Achievement Award for Manned Flight Awareness. He recently received the Pioneers in Space Technical Achievement Award from the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Gillins, Sharon

Sharon Batiste Gillins is native of Galveston, Texas with paternal ancestral roots in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, and maternal roots in Fort Bend County, Texas. A life-long interest in her family’s history led to an active involvement in genealogical research over the past 25 years. She is a graduate of Howard University and holds a Master’s Degree from the University of the District of Columbia. After a long career in post-secondary education, Ms. Gillins retired as Associate Professor at Riverside Community College, Riverside, California. At present, she is a frequent genealogy lecturer at regional and national conferences, among them the Texas State Genealogical Society, Alabama State University Genealogy Colloquium, National Genealogical Society, and the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research. Ms. Gillins’ research and teaching emphasize making use of underutilized record sources to discover details of 19^th Century southern life and ancestry, including the lives of enslaved people, free-people-of-color, and planters. Favorite record groups and lecture topics include records of the Freedmen’s Bureau and the Southern Claims Commission.

Greene, Colleen Robledo

Horowitz, Daniel

Daniel Horowitz is the genealogy expert at MyHeritage, lecturing virtually and in conferences around the world. Dedicated to Genealogy since 1986, was the teacher and the study guide editor of the family history project “Searching for My Roots” in Venezuela for 15 years. Involved in digitization and transcription projects and volunteering for the Israel Genealogy Research Association (IGRA).

 

 

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Klaus, Kevin

Kevin Klaus developed a love of history from an early age while listening to stories told by his great-grandparents and grandparents who grew up in East Texas. Over the past 30 years, he has collected and researched his own family, using government records, letters, photographs, family Bible information, and stories. Beginning in 1990, he served eight years in the United States Army. In 1998, he was honorably discharged from the Army in New Mexico, and returned home to Central Texas. For the last 19 years, Kevin has served as one of the lead researchers in the Texas General Land Office Archives and Records Program Area. During his time at the Land Office he has searched the early Court of Claims files, German Collection and archival collection to learn more about the history of Texas and discover the amazing collection of personal letters of early soldiers and pioneers who helped settle our great state. Over the last few years, he has focused his attention and research on the German Collection and the early German settlers that came to Texas under the Adelsverein in the 1840s. In the process, he has honed his research skills by tracing his own family line that came to America in the late 1800s. This research is ongoing as he is still sleuthing records in Germany to discover the history of past lives.

Lee, Andrew

Andy Lee has been involved in family history research for 30 years. He enjoys researching ancestors from Sacramento, California, upstate New York, and St. Keverne, Cornwall, England. As a trained speaker with Toastmaster’s International, Andy has won several storytelling contests. He teaches throughout the US and Canada at conferences and local societies on subjects such as DNA, writing, beginning genealogy, and various tools to incorporate in your hobby. In 2016, he and his wife started the Family History Fanatics YouTube channel that has grown to be one of the most popular genealogy related channels on YouTube. He’s the co-author of the best selling DNA Q&A and A Recipe for Writing Family History as well as other family-history-related books. Andy graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and works in the oil & gas industry. He and his wife have five children.

Lee, Devon Noel

Author, speaker, and family historian, Devon specializes in preserving and sharing family memories and motivating budding genealogists. She has published over 60 books, including a memoir, four family history how-to books, and the popular A Recipe for Writing Family History. With over 20 years experience in genealogy, Devon is a high-energy speaker and lab instructor at local, state, and national genealogy conference plus public libraries. She educates and inspires the genealogy world weekly through videos at FamilyHistoryFanatics.com. A Texas Aggie with degrees in Marketing and Journalism, Devon is currently a home educator for five superheroes.

Mcrae, Sherman

Sherman McRae’s journey toward discovering his family story began when he searched the 1940 census and found his grandmother listed as a child living with her young parents and paternal grandparents. That initial discovery set him on the path to tracing his great-grandfather’s lineage through various archival records and then to the field of genetic genealogy. He currently works as a Group Project Liaison for FamilyTreeDNA.

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Meisner, Bernard

Bernard is a genealogist and lecturer based in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. He began researching his family 30 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 8^th great grandparents. He is a past president and current social media chair of the Mid-Cities Genealogical Society, and co-leader of the Dallas Genealogical Society’s German Genealogy Group of North Texas.

Bernard retired from the National Weather Service Southern Region Headquarters where he was the Chief of the Science & Training Branch. He is certified as a consulting meteorologist by the American Meteorological Society and has taught at the Universities of Texas, Oklahoma, and St. Thomas (Houston). Bernard earned a B.S. in physics/German from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in meteorology from the University of Hawaii. He has completed courses at the National Institute for Genealogical Studies, and attended the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh each of the last five years, completing courses in Irish research, German research, Digital Research Skills, and Genetic Genealogy.

Meyers, Kelvin

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. He specializes in southern brick wall problems for clients. Kelvin is a 1989 and 1990 alumnus of the Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research at Samford University and has returned to IGHR as lecturer in the Southern Course and the Professional Course. In 2016 he co-coordinated with J. Mark Lowe, “A Swing Through the South” at SLIG (Salt Lake Institute of Genealogical Research). In 2019 Kelvin coordinated the “Burned Counties and More: Overcoming Record Loss” course for SLIG. He is a past board member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, a past President of the Lone Star Chapter of APG, and a founding member for the Council for the Advancement of Forensic Genealogy (CAFG).

The Dallas Genealogical Society awarded Kelvin the Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck Distinguished Service Award in December of 2018. In 2016 Kelvin published Research in Texas for the NGS (National Genealogical Society) Research in the States series. Kelvin is also the director of TxSGS’s Texas Institute of Genealogical Research (TIGR).

 

Rakoczy, Dr. Lila

A native of Huntsville, Texas, Dr. Lila Rakoczy received her BA in history from King’s College London, and her MA in historical archaeology and PhD in archaeology from the University of York. In Britain she worked for six years in the museum, heritage, and academic sectors, and after returning home taught for three years as a Visiting Assistant Professor of History at Sam Houston State University. A chance encounter in a cemetery sparked a decade-long quest that resulted in the identification of nearly 30,000 African American Texans who served in World War I. Partial results of this work were showcased in the traveling centennial exhibit No Man’s Land: East Texas African Americans in WWI, and a book is forthcoming. Lila is currently the Education and Outreach Specialist for the Texas General Land Office. 

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Richard, Diane L.

Diane L. Richard, Mosaic Research and Project Management (MosaicRPM), www.mosaicrpm.com, has been a genealogy researcher since 1987 and as a professional since 2004 with a focus on the records of North Carolina and southern states. She regularly contributes to Internet Genealogy and Your Genealogy Today. In 2019 she published, Tracing Your Ancestors – African American Research: A Practical Guide. Since 2016, she has been editor of the North Carolina Genealogical Society (NCGS) Journal. As a speaker, Diane has delivered webinars and in-person talks about the availability and richness of records documenting Southerners, pursuing formerly enslaved ancestors and their descendants, genealogical research tips, techniques, tools and strategies, under-utilized resource collections (online and on-the-ground), and much more. She has appeared on Who Do You Think You Are? (Bryan Cranston episode) and The Dead Files (Detox episode). Diane is co-leader of Tar Heel Discoveries, www.tarheeldiscoveries.com, which offers guided North Carolina genealogical research programs providing participants with targeted, focused, research assistance leading to new family discoveries.

Richardson, Emily

Dr. Emily Richardson, a retired faculty member from higher education, has lectured on multiple genealogy topics during the past 20 years, including courses for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) in Pennsylvania and Texas, a sophomore credit-based history course on finding your ancestors, and individual presentations to several DAR chapters. She has been involved in genealogy for over 20 years and now operates Kinsearchers, a professional genealogy business. She regularly presents at the Robson Ranch Genealogy Club where she lives in Denton, Texas.

Roddy, Mary Kircher

Mary Kircher Roddy, CG, is also a Certified Public Accountant. She has a Master in Professional Accounting from the University of Texas, a certificate in Genealogy and Family History from the University of Washington, and is a graduate of ProGen 31. Mary lectures in Washington State and across the US, and is a regular presenter for LegacyFamilyTree Webinars. She has written for Internet Genealogy, NGS Magazine, FGS Forum, Family Chronicle, and The National Genealogical Society Quarterly as well as numerous society publications. Mary currently serves as a mentor for ProGen 48 and is also the treasurer for the Association of Professional Genealogists.

Russell, Judy G.

The Legal Genealogist Judy G. Russell is a genealogist with a law degree. She writes, teaches, and lectures on a wide variety of genealogical topics, ranging from using court records in family history to understanding DNA testing. A Colorado native with roots deep in Texas and the American south on her mother’s side and entirely in Germany on her father’s side, she holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a political science minor from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and a law degree from Rutgers School of Law-Newark. Before she retired, she worked as a newspaper reporter, trade association writer, legal investigator, defense attorney, federal prosecutor, law editor and, for more than 20 years, was an adjunct member of the faculty at Rutgers Law School. Judy is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society and numerous state and regional genealogical societies. She has written for the National Genealogical Society Quarterly (from which she received the 2017 Award of Excellence), the National Genealogical Society Magazine, the FGS Forum, BCG’s OnBoard, and Family Tree Magazine, among other publications.

On the faculty of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, the Midwest African American Genealogy Institute, and the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records, Judy is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Board for Certification of Genealogists^®, from which she holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist^® and Certified Genealogical Lecturer℠. Her award-winning blog appears at The Legal Genealogist website (https://www.legalgenealogist.com).

Sanders, Renate Yarborough

Renate Yarborough Sanders, genealogist, is the descendant of formerly enslaved ancestors, as well as enslavers and free people of color. She is the author of two blogs: Into the LIGHT, which focuses on her own family history; and Genea-Related, which is a platform for presenting a variety of information of genealogical interest. Renate also produces a “(Mostly) African-American Funeral Programs” online database, in which she publishes vital data extracted from funeral programs.

Renate is a member of the National Genealogical Society, the North Carolina Genealogical Society, the Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society (AAHGS), the Heritage Society of Franklin County, North Carolina, and the Tyrrell County (North Carolina) Genealogical and Historical Society. She is a panelist on BlackProGen LIVE, an online live show presenting topics of interest for people researching ancestors of color and she recently hosted a summer series of YouTube shows, focused on North Carolina genealogy. Renate has published articles in genealogical articles and she volunteers in the historical and genealogical community by indexing and arbitrating documents for Family Search, Ancestry.com, and Fold3. She is the newsletter editor and membership chairperson for the Hampton Roads Chapter of AAHGS, a member of the AAHGS National Editorial Board, and a volunteer photographer for Find-A-Grave. She retired in July 2017 from a 32-year career as elementary educator.

Renate is an experienced and engaging speaker. She enjoys presenting genealogy lectures on a variety of topics but specializes in sharing knowledge and techniques for researching ancestors of color – both pre- and post- Emancipation, free people of color, or enslaved. When possible, her presentations are fine-tuned to include information specific to the participants and/or location of her audiences.

Southard, Diahan

Diahan Southard is a leading voice for consumer DNA testing from her position as founder of Your DNA Guide. Diahan teaches internationally, writes for popular magazines, consults with leading testing companies, is the author of Your DNA Guide – the Book, and producer of Your DNA Guide – the Academy, an online learning experience. Southard’s company, Your DNA Guide (YourDNAGuide.com), provides genetic genealogy education products and services. You will walk away from an interaction with her enlightened and motivated as she has a passion for genetic genealogy, a genuine love for people, and a gift for making the technical understandable.

Spindle, Debra Osborne

Debra Osborne Spindle, PhD, MLIS, is a 6th generation Texan stranded in Oklahoma now for over 40 years. She is a retired librarian from the Oklahoma Historical Society’s Research Division in Oklahoma City and currently helps adoptees identify their birth families, works in forensic genealogy, and teaches classes for the Research Division. She has also been part of the faculty at IGHR in the “Records of the Five Tribes” and lectured at the Five Tribes Conference held annually in Oklahoma. A descendant of the Mennonites who brought the turkey red wheat to the Great Plains, she is active in the local Germans from Russia Society.

 

Strauss, Michael

Michael L. Strauss, AG®, is a professional Accredited Genealogist and nationally recognized speaker. A native of Pennsylvania and a resident of Utah, he has been employed as a Forensic Investigator for nearly 30 years. Strauss has a BA in History and is a US Coast Guard veteran. He is a qualified expert witness in the courts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Michael is a faculty member at the Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research, the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, and the Genealogy Research Institute of Pittsburgh, where he coordinates the courses on military research.

 

Taplin, Cari

Cari A. Taplin is related to Roy Rogers. Or at least that’s what her family told her. As a result, finding her true heritage has been her focus since the year 2000. Cari holds the Certified Genealogist® credential and has served in a wide variety of volunteer and leadership positions for state, local, and national societies. She currently serves as the Secretary for the Association for Professional Genealogists (APG) and as the President of the Lone Star Chapter of APG. As the owner of GenealogyPANTS, she writes a blog and provides speaking services. Cari currently works for Ancestry ProGenealogists. Cari’s personal research focuses on midwestern and Great Lakes states. When she’s not working on her genealogy, she is a wife and mother of two teenagers.

Thornhill, Jim

Jim Thornhill has been researching his family’s history for 18 years, five of those as a professional genealogist.  Jim is chief researcher for Heroes of the Past, a company that seeks to delight clients, provide context in our ancestor’s lives, and show how we all have Heroes in our Pasts. Jim is a graduate of the ProGen professional genealogy course, the Genealogy Proof course, TIGR and was awarded the Birdie Monk Holsclaw Scholarship to IGHR in Athens Georgia.   Jim is an active member in the the Texas State Genealogical Society, the Dallas Genealogical Society, where he serves as IT Administrator and Vice President in charge of seminar programing.  Jim is a native Texan who has been living in the Dallas area his entire life, and has roots in pre-civil war Texas and Mississippi.

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Wayne, Debbie Parker

Debbie Parker Wayne, CG^®, is a board-certified genealogist experienced using DNA analysis and traditional techniques for family history research. Debbie edited the book and authored one chapter of Advanced Genetic Genealogy: Techniques and Case Studies; co-authored the award-winning DNA workbook, Genetic Genealogy in Practice; and developed the online, self-paced course Continuing Genealogical Studies: Autosomal DNA, offered by National Genealogical Society (NGS). For TxSGS, she chairs the DNA Project and the Early Texans DNA Project. Her publications include a column on using DNA analysis for genealogical research in NGS Magazine and in the Stirpes journal of Texas. Debbie was the course coordinator for the first beginner and intermediate DNA courses offered at four major US genealogy institutes. See http://debbiewayne.com/ for more information and for archived versions of many of her articles.

Whited, Randy

Randy Whited has been an avid genealogist for over thirty years and a genealogy educator since 2006, predominantly speaking on technology and DNA related topics. He is the immediate Past President of the Texas State Genealogical Society and a TxSGS Director for the Austin area. He has also been leading the Capitol Area DNA SIG for the past five years.

From his BA in Astronomy from the University of Texas, to 20 years in the fields of information technology and business intelligence, Randy’s personal, professional and educational interests all converge around turning data into stories and educating others.

Wilkins, Ari

Ari Wilkins, a graduate of Louisiana State University, has been actively researching family history since 1998. Ms. Wilkins has spoken nationally at the National Genealogical Society, Federation of Genealogical Societies, Texas State Genealogical Society, Ohio Genealogical Society, Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research, Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, American Library Association, RootsTech, and a multitude of local societies.

Ari has been a Library Associate at Dallas Public Library since 2007. She teaches a series of basic research classes using popular genealogical websites. She specializes in African American research.

The words Certified Genealogist and letters CG are registered certification marks, and the designations CGL and Certified Genealogical Lecturer are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®, used under license by board certificants after periodic evaluation.