Mary Kircher Roddy, CG, became interested in family history in 2000 in anticipation of her husband’s sabbatical at the University of Limerick in Ireland. While she didn’t learn everything about her ancestors while they lived there, she was hooked! Since then she earned a certificate in Genealogy and Family History from the University of Washington and her Certified Genealogist credential in 2019. She is a co-founder of the Applied Genealogy Institute, whose motto is “Learn by Doing.” She served as treasurer for the Association of Professional Genealogists from 2018-2021. She is a trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists. Mary is also co-editor of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly.

Presenter: Yvette Hoitink, CG®, QGTM is a professional genealogist, writer, and lecturer from the Netherlands who specializes in researching Dutch ancestors. Her Dutch Genealogy website has helped thousands of people find their ancestors from the Netherlands. Yvette has a background in computer science and business studies and worked as an IT consultant and project manager for the National Archives of the Netherlands. In 2012, Yvette became a professional genealogist, working for clients with ancestors from the Netherlands or its former colonies. She has a postgraduate diploma in Family and Local History from the University of Dundee and is certified by the Board for Certification of Genealogists. Yvette lectures about research in the Netherlands, methodology, emigration, and related topics. She won excellence awards for her articles in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly.

Robbie Johnson holds the credential of Certified Genealogist®. Her research and writing focuses on England, Canada, the Pacific Northwest, Native-Indigenous ancestry, and genetic genealogy. She’s presented lectures/workshops for Putting Skills To Work, the SLIG Advanced Analysis Practicum course, and local genealogical societies. She has served as a coordinator, and as secretary for the ProGen Study Groups, mentored the GenProof Study Groups, and is currently a mentor for the Certification Discussion Group. Robbie worked for over 40 years as an editor and writer before becoming a professional genealogist. She lives in Skagit County, Washington.

LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson was elected as a trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) in 2016 and served as President from 2019-2022. She was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists in October 2021. She enjoyed a 35-year career as a tax lawyer before her 2013 retirement as a partner from the big four accounting firm of EY. She is most proud of her service on the staff of the bipartisan, bicameral, Joint Committee on Taxation of the U.S. Congress where she helped to craft the historical Tax Reform Act of 1986. LaBrenda is now a full-time genealogist focused on teaching and writing. Her research centers on African American families that survived American slavery, primarily in the Carolinas. LaBrenda has published in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, among other publications, and in 2016 she published a guide for researching African Americans in her home county in South Carolina, a book that was hailed in the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s long-running genealogy column as an important model for all counties of South Carolina and other states. LaBrenda earned a BA from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, and both a Law degree and a Master of Laws degree from New York University. From 2017-2023, LaBrenda served as the Registrar General for the Sons and Daughters of the United States Middle Passage, a national lineage society that honors ancestors who were enslaved in the United States before 1870. She completed ProGen 13 and served as the mentor of ProGen 37. LaBrenda is the SLIG Course Coordinator for the African American track, and is also on the faculty of the Genealogical Institute of Pittsburgh, the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records, and the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research. See  https://www.LabGarrettGenealogy.com.

Debbie Mieszala, Certified Genealogist(R),specializes in forensic genealogy, and 20th-century and Midwest research. She conducts genealogical research for the military to locate relatives of service members missing in past wars, and formerly conducted adoption-related research as an Illinois Confidential Intermediary. A national-level lecturer and author, she has taught at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, and the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, and she developed an Ancestry Academy course. Debbie’s work has been published in NGS Magazine, The Digital Genealogist, and OnBoard. She formerly served as a trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists. Debbie has attended IGHR, the former NIGR, and GRIP. Visit her website and blog, The Advancing Genealogist at advancinggenealogist.com.