Help:WikiTree Day Speakers

Melissa Barker
Melissa Barker is a Certified Archives Manager and Public Historian currently working at the Houston County, Tennessee Archives & Museum. She is affectionally known as The Archive Lady to the genealogy community. She lectures, teaches, and writes about the genealogy research process, researching in archives and records preservation. read more

Eleanor Brinsko
Eleanor Brinsko is a professional genealogist who does European-American genealogy and specializes in Scandinavian-American genealogy by looking at genealogical and social trends on both sides of the Atlantic. Eleanor has given lectures for the Wisconsin Historical Society and public libraries, genealogical societies, and family reunions around the United States. She is also a contributor to the show ... read more

Sara Cochran
Sara is a full-time professional genealogist with over 28 years of research experience. Her research has taken her into nearly every State in the USA and Ireland. She especially enjoys breaking down brick walls and discovering the stories of black sheep ancestors. Sara holds a Boston University Genealogical Research Certificate, a Bachelor's Degree in Library Science, and is an alum of the ProGen Study Group. read more

Christine Cohen
Christine Cohen is a long time member of the Whittier Area Genealogical Society (WAGS), and has served in many capacities, including President. In addition to WAGS, she is also a member of the El Redondo Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Society of Daughters of Holland Dames and the Association of Professional Genealogists. read more

Connie Davis
Connie Davis, a nurse and genealogist, has a special interest in communication skills for genealogists. Connie earned a certificate in Family History and Genealogy from the University of Washington in 1999 and has spent decades visiting archives, libraries and cemeteries in search of ancestors. read more

Debbie Gurtler
Debbie Gurtler, AG, is the Assistant Director of the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. She has a BA in family history from Brigham Young University and five Accredited Genealogist credentials for the US Mid-South, Spain, Mexico, Portugal, and Chile. Fluent in Spanish, she spent five years in South America and is a frequent speaker on Hispanic research topics at local and national conferences. read more

Sarah Hewitt
Sarah Hewitt is the Chair of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists. She first became interested in family history at the age of 11 and started researching in her early 20s. She enjoys working with people around the world to find more on her family. Her research has taken her from New Zealand to Australia, the British Isles, China and USA. read more

Kathryn Lake Hogan
Dive deep into the rich history of your Canadian family history with professional genealogist, Kathryn Lake Hogan. Hailing from Ontario, Kathryn's lineage includes a mixture of Canadian, Loyalist and New England branches and roots connecting her to England and Wales. But her passion doesn't stop at her own genealogy ... read more

Alina Khuda
Alina Khuda has a BA (Hons) and MA (Hons) degrees in Social Studies and Politics, studied in the USA (sponsored by the US government). She participated in GOI Peace Foundation and UNESCO projects from 2009. Moreover she has an extensive experience as a court expert, probate genealogist and a forensic genealogist from 2015. Established KGS in 2016. read more

Lianne Kruger
Lianne Kruger is a professional genealogist and speaker specializing in Canada, U.S. and Canadian homesteading, video recording family history, and using technology such as Google Maps and Drive, Microsoft Office and Evernote. She has spoken for RootsTech, NGS, Legacy FamilyTree Webinars, Ancestry, FamilyRoots, THE Genealogy Show, Ontario Ancestors, AGS, BIFHSGO, live and webinars. read more

David Allen Lambert
David Allen Lambert has been on the staff of American Ancestors/NEHGS since 1993 and is the organization’s Chief Genealogist. David is an internationally recognized speaker on the topics of genealogy and history. Lambert has published many articles in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register ... read more

Shaunese Luthy
Shaunese received her BA in Family History and Genealogy from BYU. She is the owner of Untangle Your Roots and specializes in the Dakotas Regions, Central Plain Regions, Midwest/Great Lake Regions, and Mountain West Regions in client research. She is also a presenter at a variety of different conferences and societies. read more

Thomas MacEntee
Thomas MacEntee is a Baby Boomer guy with a love of punk rock music but also art history who somehow “fell” into the technology industry almost 40 years ago, and then left a lucrative IT career to pursue his love of family history and genealogy. read more

Melanie McComb
Melanie McComb is a staff genealogist with American Ancestors & New England Historic Genealogical Society. She is an international lecturer who teaches on a variety of topics, including New England research, Irish genealogy, military records, DNA, Jewish genealogy, and more. Melanie holds a B.S. degree from the State University of New York at Oswego. read more

Shelley Murphy
Shelley Viola Murphy, aka "familytreegirl" is a native of MI residing in VA researching her African-American & European lines. She is one of four Coordinators and an Instructor at Midwest African American Genealogy Institute (MAAGI) & member of DAR Jack Jouett Chapter. Murphy also holds memberships with AAHGS, NGS, APG & various genealogy groups. She also sits on the Boards ...” read more

Cheri Hudson Passey
Cheri Hudson Passey is a professional genealogist, instructor, writer, speaker, and owner of Carolina Girl Genealogy, LLC. She is the host of the YouTube genealogy chat show GenFriends and is a genealogical researcher, subcontracted by Eagle Investigative Services, Inc., for the US Army Past Conflict Repatriations Branch. She is involved in many genealogy ... read more

Sandy Patak
Sandy Patak, a Professional Genealogist, was raised in Appalachia and grew up listening to the stories of her ancestors. As a descendant of pioneers, coal miners, carpenters and entrepreneurs, she became fascinated in the lives of others and started her career in Genealogy. read more

Jon Marie Pearson
Jon Marie, with 20 years in genealogy, has led in historical societies as President and Trustee. As a family historian and social media expert, she blends past legacies with digital platforms. She empowers the genealogy community to share stories and strengthen their online presence, connecting societies with broader audiences. Her expertise in digital engagement helps preserve family history, ensuring ... read more

Azure Robinson
Azure Robinson has been researching family genealogy from childhood. Since joining WikiTree in 2018, she has presented about One-Place and One-Name studies in addition to introducing societies to WikiTree. In 2023, she became part of the Team. read more

David Ryan
David Ryan is a genealogist and oral historian based in Cork, Ireland. He is currently studying an MA in Public History through the University of Limerick and is a board member for the Association of Professional Genealogists. read more

Drew Smith
Drew Smith is an associate librarian emeritus at the University of South Florida Libraries in Tampa, specializing in genealogical research. He is the co-host of The Genealogy Guys Podcast and the host of the Genealogy Connection podcast. Drew is a founder and administrator of The Genealogy Squad Facebook Group, with over 46,000 active members. He writes ... read more

Maureen Taylor
Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective™ helps clients with photo related genealogical problems. Her pioneering work in historic photo research has earned her the title “the nation’s foremost historical photo detective” by The Wall Street Journal and appearances on The View, The Today Show, Pawn Stars, and others. read more

Linda Yip
Linda Yip is an author, researcher, and storyteller who has been invited to speak in Canada and the United States. She is a professional genealogist and expert in Chinese Canadian genealogy. She is a member of the Ancestry® Advisory Board of Genealogists and the Association of Professional Genealogists. She is pursuing her Accredited Genealogist, Western Canada designation ...read more