Ogden Utah FamilySearch Center 2016 Conference/bios

2016 Ogden Family history Conference Biographical information
Further conference information may be found at the root conference site - click here.

Ginny Ackerson
Ginny Ackerson has been researching for over 45 years and specializes in British, Southern and Mid-West states. She enjoys educating the public about Family History and has presented at RootsTech, BYU, UVTAGG, South Davis and many other conferences and fairs. She also teaches at the BYU Library Sunday classes and has done some webinars. Ginny serves on the UGA Board and is their conference chair.

Roland Astorga
A penchant for genealogy began at age of around 10 years old for Roland Astorga when he discovered that the family name originated from Spain. His affinity for documenting history continued via stories, photographs and video. Utilizing the synergies of high-speed digitizing equipment, Google and genealogy webpages Roland established My Family Online, a full-service genealogy company. Today the company assists families and organizations around the world to preserve, publish, research and expand their family trees through their network of over 1,000 professionals. Subscribers benefit from a full-suite of services including research, digitalization, translation, transcription, publishing, photograph touch-up, and other services. Roland and Polly are the parents of 6 children and 7 grandchildren. Presentation Title: . Genealogy Tips and Tricks

Brooke Bedke
Hi my name is Brooke Bedke. I live in Pleasant View. I am a senior at Weber High School. Some of my hobbies are playing the piano and horse back riding! I got started into family search because I wanted to take names to the temple and perform the ordinances there. I was then called to be a youth family history consultant in my ward, where I have learned so much from others and have really loved making connections with my ancestors. I hope that you can all find the same interest and love for it as I do! Presentation Title:13. YOUTH LDS Family History Consultants

Mike Booth
Michael T. Booth is vice-president of RootsMagic, Inc. He is an accomplished trainer, having given hands-on entertaining presentations to thousands of individuals. With over 35 years of computer programming experience, Michael's latest creations are "Personal Historian" and "Family Atlas". He is also a developer of the popular RootsMagic genealogy software. Michael lives in Ogden, Utah with his wife, Sandy and their six children. Presentation Titles: . Personal Historian: Software to Bring Life to Your Life Stories . What’s New in RootsMagic 7 . RootsMagic: FamilySearch Made Easy

Juan Balderas
Juan L. Balderas Nápoles-- Nació en El Paso de Texas, como el segundo hijo de un padre militar en EEUU y su esposa. Sirvió una misión SUD en Sudamérica. Se casó en el Templo de Provo. Sirvió en el distrito escolar de Ogden de Utah como maestro de clases y como especialista y entrenador en en el uso de nuevas tecnologías tanto en las escuelas como en la auto-capacitación. Se jubiló a fin de aplicarse mejor a estudios de genealogía por FamilySearch y servicios en el Santo Templo a favor de los antepasados. Esto no terminó todavía.

Juan L. Balderas(father) Nápoles(mother)--  Was born in El Paso, Texas, into the Latter-day Saint family whose head was employed by the US Army. Served a fulltime mission in South America. Married in the Provo Temple. Served in Ogden City School District as a public school educator and a District specialist and trainer in using new technologies in education and learning. Retired to provide lots of FamilySearch and Temple-related services. Still working on those last ones..

Kathleen Buckmaster
Kathleen Buckmaster works at the Ogden Utah FamilySearch Center, helping patrons one-on-one and teaching a popular FamilySearch Family Tree Basic class. She has worked extensively adding sources and correcting problems in her own family tree as well as that of her husband and a neighbor. She enjoys helping people see how mastering FamilySearch Family Tree can enrich their lives and extend their families. Presentation Title: . LAB FamilySearch for Beginners . Repeat LAB FamilySearch for Beginners

Mckenna Cooper
Mckenna Cooper is a senior at Brigham Young University, graduating in Anthropology and Family History. She currently works for the Nauvoo Community Project at BYU as a researcher and recently completed an internship at the FamilySearch Library as a Czech specialist. Presentation Title: Early LDS newspapers: an underutilized resource

Linda Dursteler
Linda has an M.Ed. in curriculum development. She has spent most of her life researching her own family and helping others find theirs. She currently serves as a missionary at the Ogden Utah FamilySearch Center. She and her husband Bruce reside in North Ogden. Presentation Title: . LAB Descendancy Research in FamilySearch Family Tree . Repeat LAB Descendancy Research in FamilySearch Family Tree

Gaylon Findlay
Gaylon Findlay is the president of Incline Software, the company that creates Ancestral Quest. Incline Software is based in South Jordan, Utah. Gaylon has been developing genealogy software since 1993, and is the primary author of both Ancestral Quest and Personal Ancestral File. Prior to his work in genealogy, he spent his high school years in Frankfurt, Germany, served an a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Finland, graduated from Brigham Young University and spent 12 years in the San Francisco Bay Area as a computer consultant. He is married to Gale Johnson of Westminster, California, and they are the parents of 5 children. Presentation Titles: . What’s New in Ancestral Quest . Ancestral Quest: Keeping Your AQ or PAF Data in Sync with FamilySearch

Holly T. Hansen
Has been instrumental in helping thousands understand the principles, strategies, and sources they can use to tract their roots in today's ever-changing technological environment. She is the mastermind behind more than 50 Family History Expos, held across the United States, and numerous Retreats at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, Utah and other repositories in diverse cities. She is dedicated to helping individuals and families, one-on-one, with their personal research needs. Currently, she is involved creating podcasts, webinars, and video presentations to help people move forward in their family history endeavors from the comforts of home. Holly's titles include author, lecturer, editor, and publisher. In 2015 she has co-authored and compiled eight research guides with James L. Tanner, Arlene, H. Eakle, and others. She has produced more than 100 unique syllabus and class handout books for Family History Expos attendees. She is a former editor of Everton's Genealogical Helper magazine, and editor of the 10th and 11th editions of The Handybook for Genealogists, with more than one million copies sold. She has also authored The Directory of North American Railroads, Trekking for Ancestors, and co-authored a series of 16 family history interview books entitled Celebrating and Capturing the Memories. Holly and her husband, Chris P. Hansen, have been married for 37 years and are the parents of five remarkable children. Holly received an Honors BA in History from Weber State University and continues to dedicate time to education on a daily basis. Presentation Titles: . Deductive Reasoning and Logic . Introduction to the NEW FamilySearch Catalog: Use it like a Pro!

Nicole Hepler
Nicole Hepler is a family history enthusiast. She volunteers at the Ogden Utah FamilySearch Center and teaches the Family History Consultant Training class at the Library each month. Nicole has seen the miracles that come to individuals who engage in family history. She has also witnessed the amazing blessings that come to families who participate together in family history work. Nicole, her husband Bryan and their three children have  been actively involved in family history for the last 10 years: indexing, sourcing, researching, and participating in temple work for the ancestors of their family. Along with their three children, they have enjoyed learning about and understanding the lives of their ancestors. Presentation Title: LDS Family History consultant & Priesthood Leadership Training

Janet Hovorka
Janet Hovorka owns Family ChartMasters, an award winning genealogy chart printing service and official printing service for most genealogy software and database companies. Janet has written the Zap The Grandma Gap books and workbooks and is an international speaker. She is past president of UGA and teaches genealogy at SLCC. Presentation Titles: . 6 Steps to Choreograph Your Research Across the Internet . Grandpa’s on my Ipad: Sharing Your Family History with your Family Using Social Networking . Family History Adhesive: The Science of Why History Binds Families and the Simple Tech of How to Do It

Matthew Hovorka
Matthew was only 4 years old when his parents started the company Family ChartMasters and enveloped his life in genealogy. He is now 15 and has developed extensive knowledge about his rich family history. He is working on correctly sourcing the history that has already been researched in his family. Presentation Titles: . YOUTH Get to Know Your Geezers

Clive Ingram
FamilySearch Library volunteer who specializes in descendancy research techniques.

Peg A. Ivanyo
Peg A Ivanyo serves as a ward family history consultant, member of the Board of Directors of the Utah Genealogical Association (UGA), Director of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), and Conference Administrator for the Foundation for East European Family History Studies (FEEFHS). She served as an instructor and as a member of the training committee at the Springville FSC for over five years. She is owner of All Things Related, where she blends her love of genealogy with her career in the meeting planning industry. Presentation Titles: . Making a Case for Re-Proving Old Work . Getting Started on the Right Foot: Genealogy Standards for Beginners . Using Technology to See your Research More Clearly

Robert A. Ives, M.Ed.
Bob Ives, COO for the Family History Guide, L3C, has teaching and technology in his blood. He received a Master's Degree in computerized curriculum design and went to work as the Director of Instructional Technology for the Utah State Office of Education. Bob was instrumental in the spread of technology in the state and the development of cutting edge programs such as satellite distance learning with IBM.

He later formed his own technology consulting and training company, Educational Renaissance, Inc. and worked as an IBM business partner for 15 years. He has travelled across the US and Pacific as a trainer for IBM Educational Systems, as well as McGraw-Hill and Allyn & Bacon. Bob has served on state and national committees such as the NCTM Technology Committee and the Governors' Computer Literacy Task Force. He has given presentations across the United States, Canada, Singapore, Australia and Malaysia. He has managed a number of other companies and has a rich business background.

Bob is currently the Technology Coordinator for the Sandy Utah Granite FamilySearch Center, the third largest FamilySearch Center in the Salt Lake Valley. He and his wife Dawn have two sons and four grandchildren. Bob has a B.S. from Brigham Young University, an M.Ed. and Administrative Certification from the University of Utah. He has also served as an adjunct professor for Utah State University.

"Everything I have done in life has prepared me for what I am doing now with technology in the FamilySearch Center and the development of The Family History Guide."

Fritz Juengling PhD, AG®
Doctor Juengling did his Bachelor’s degrees in German studies and Secondary Education at Western Oregon University. He received his Master’s and Doctorate in Germanic Philology with minors in both English and Linguistics at the University of Minnesota. He is an Accredited Genealogist® in German research and is a German and Dutch Research Consultant at the FamilySearch Library. Presentation Titles: . Tips for Genealogical Research . Danish Probate Records

Don Koldewyn
Don Koldewyn graduated from Weber High School, Weber State College and the University of Utah. After retiring fifteen years ago, he has been “anxiously engaged in a good cause,” which is family history research, specializing in the Netherlands. He is a ward Family History Consultant and a volunteer at the Ogden FamilySearch Center, where he is always excited to help people learn how to use the online Netherlands databases. He also conducts the Netherlands Research Society meetings where those involved with Dutch Family History meet and help each other with research.

Sam Lower
FamilySearch Library volunteer for several decades who specializes in descendancy research techniques.

Bradley Marchant
Bradley D. Marchant, AG is an accredited Swedish genealogist. Having spent over half of his life in the pursuit of genealogical research, he has a lot of expertise, excitement and enthusiasm. Currently an employee of Familysearch, he organizes and catalogs newly digitized family history records from around the world. He is known for his odd sense of humor and no-nonsense approach to research. When not spending his time in research, he is found renovating his house, chasing after his dog, or restoring antique furniture. He is also working on becoming a foster-adopt parent in the great state of Utah. Presentation Titles: . How to Think Logically for Beginners and Intermediate Researchers: Work Smarter, not Harder! . British Descendant Research Part A: 1837-1911 . British Descendant Research Part B: One-name studies and Pre-1837 Research

Mark Olsen
Working as the Business Development Manager for MyHeritage and as Stake High Councilor over Family History, Mark is engaged in the work of Family History from morning until night and the weekend as well. Mark and Sara are the parents of 7, have one grandbaby and one daughter serving a mission in San Jose, CA. Mark Olsen Presentation Title: . Making Magical Discoveries Using MyHeritage

Linda Poulter
Linda Poulter is passionate about her callings as a stake indexing director and a foreign language missionary. Presentation Title: . LAB Indexing: Foreign Languages are Fun; Focus on Italian

Leonard Plazier for Legacy
Leonard began doing family history at the age of 12 with his grandmother and parents. For 20 years, he has volunteered at the South Davis FamilySearch Center as an Advisory Council member supporting technology and teaching classes. He enjoys helping others bridge genealogy and technology.

Presentation Titles: . Legacy Family Tree: Tips and Options . Legacy and FamilySearch Family Tree Made Easy .

Bob Preece
Indexing Computer lab

Marlo Schuldt
Marlo Schuldt is President of LifeStory Productions, Inc., an Orem, Utah based company that develops family history software and provides assistance to individuals desiring to gather, prepare, print, and share family history. With BS and MS degrees from Brigham Young University, he recently patented the Heritage Collector Software. He is the father of five and the grandfather of twelve including twin grandsons. Presentation Titles: . Scanning for Better Results . Heritage Collector Software Demo . Creating Audio and Video Family History Stories: Creating/Recording, Enhancing, and Sharing . Ways to Use a Smart Phone in Family History

Gene A. Sessions Ph.D.
Gene A. Sessions is Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor of History at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. A native of Ogden, he received his Ph.D. degree from Florida State University in 1974. He is the author and editor of numerous works, including Mormon Thunder: A Documentary History of Jedediah Morgan Grant (1982, 2008), Latter-day Patriots: Nine Mormon Families and Their Revolutionary War Heritage (1975), Prophesying upon the Bones: J. Reuben Clark and the Foreign Debt Crisis, 1933-39 (1992), Camp Floyd and the Mormons: The Utah War (with Donald R. Moorman, 1992, 2005), The Search for Harmony: Essays on Science and Mormonism (with Craig J. Oberg, 1993), Utah International: A Biography of a Business (with Sterling D. Sessions, 2002, 2005), and Mormon Democrat: The Religious and Political Memoirs of James Henry Moyle (1975, 1998), for which he received the Mormon History Association’s annual award for best edited work. He has also been a consultant on documentaries and committees exploring the Utah War and the Mountain Meadows Massacre and is past president of the Mountain Meadows Association. He and his wife Shantal have four children and seven grandsons. Presentation Title: . Storytellers Rule the World

Collin Smith
is Marketing Manager for FamilySearch Indexing. In this role he develops localized messaging to engage a diverse and worldwide audience to participate in making records searchable online through Indexing. A proud BYU Cougar alum and father of three, Collin is an avid day-tripper, beach-goer and museum visitor. His travels have led him to find distant cousins near and far. He loves the work of connecting families.

Annie Strawn
Annie Strawn was born and raised in Denmark, and emigrated to the U.S. at age 19. Expert in Danish research, she has worked at the FamilySearch Library since she was a young mother in the 1960's. She has devotedly helped families with Danish Research for over 50 years.

Greg Stroud
Shotbox creator

Bob Taylor
Bob Taylor, CEO of The Family History Guide, L3C, has been actively doing family history for over 25 years. He has combined his passion for genealogy with his background in instructional design to produce a new learning resource for family history - The Family History Guide.

Bob earned his BA degree from Brigham Young University and MA degree from Calif. State University, Los Angeles, both in Music Education. He has been a featured presenter RootsTech 2016, UVTAGG, and the BYU Family History Conference, in addition to numerous Family History Fairs in Utah.

A career change led him to instructional design and technical writing, where he has worked for large technology corporations such as Novell, Intel, and SanDisk. At Intel University, he redesigned key training courses for employees and managers worldwide, as well as teaching management courses in Washington, Arizona, Oregon, California, and Utah. He has authored many online and written learning systems, helping others accelerate learning in technology, music, and family history.

Bob and his wife Susie have five daughters and five grandchildren. He has run a number of marathons in Utah, still plays the trumpet, and is a confirmed crossword puzzle addict.

"I'm excited to be part of a breakthrough in how people learn and get involved with family history. Our vision is to raise the number of people involved in family history, worldwide, and help them be more successful."

Careen Barrett Valentine AG®
Careen Barrett-Valentine, AG® has been doing professional European Family History research since 2007. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Family History from Brigham Young University, and is accredited for research in the Germany region by the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen). While most comfortable researching in 15th to 20th century German language documents, her research interests extend to most of Central and Eastern Europe.

Jonathan Walker
Jonathan Walker – Resides in Smithfield, Utah. He served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, many years ago. Where he learned the Spanish language and learned to love the people of Mexico. Jonathan has over 20 years of genealogical research experience doing his own research and helping others do theirs. He is also the Family History Consultant in his local Latter-day Saint Spanish Branch, in Smithfield. He has a great desire to help others find and be successful in finding their ancestors. Jonathan Walker – Reside en Smithfield, Utah. Sirvió en una misión en Hermosillo, Sonora, México, hace muchos años. En dónde aprendió el idioma español y aprendió a amar a la gente de México. Jonathan tiene más de 20 años de experiencia en la investigación genealógica haciendo su propia investigación y ayudar a otros a hacer las suyas. Él es también el consultor de historia familiar en su local de rama española, en Smithfield. Él tiene un gran deseo de ayudar a otros a encontrar y tener éxito en la búsqueda de sus antepasados. Presentation Titles: SPANISH La Investigación Genealógica Hispana (Hispanic Research) Latin American Research

Johnny Willis
Johnny Willis is a retired CPA. He now volunteers and instructs at the Ogden Family Search Center. He teaches; The Source - Generations Beginning - Organizing Your Papers, Computer, and Research. Presentation Title:

Scott Woodward
Scott R. Woodward is a microbiologist and molecular biologist who specializes in genetic genealogy and ancient DNA studies. He was a professor at Brigham Young University (BYU) from 1989 to 2003. He is currently the president and principal investigator for the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation. Woodward was involved in the discovery of the first genetic marker for cystic fibrosis. Woodward has served as a visiting professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1994–1995. He was responsible for building the large data set of DNA from populations throughout the world that started the revolution of linking DNA to traditional genealogies.

Making Documents While Researching