Summit of Excellence 2026 - Getting Started
- Description
UGA’s Summit of Excellence is an annual event to help genealogy enthusiasts improve their research skills and knowledge. The three-day virtual conference includes a variety of presentations and workshops for all experience levels. The conference begins with a “Getting Started Day,” with a focus on genealogy basics. In the following days, participants can explore more advanced topics through themed tracks like “Records” and “International,” with multiple expert-led sessions happening at the same time. This format lets attendees choose sessions that match their interests. And if participants are interested in more than one session during a time slot, recordings of the sessions will be available for later viewing.
The Summit of Excellence is dedicated to offering educational resources to help participants sharpen their genealogical research skills.
This listing is only for the Getting Started Day. Looking for the full conference? Click here.
Listed times are Mountain Time.
9:00 a.m. Starting Your Family Tree: First Steps for Successful Genealogy Research by Alina Khuda
10:30 a.m. Bringing Your Ancestors to Life: Going Beyond the Facts by Karen A. Fortin
12:00 p.m. What Did You Just Find? Evaluating Sources and Evidence with Confidence by Cheri Hudson Passey
1:30 p.m. Organizing Your Digital Files-Apps and Tips for Your Phone & Laptop by Cynthia K Patton
3:00 p.m. Cousins, Clusters, and Chromosomes: Making Sense of Your DNA Matches by Paula Williams
Starting Your Family Tree: First Steps for Successful Genealogy Research
Presented By: Alina Khuda on September 10, 2026 9:00 am
This beginner session introduces the essential first steps in genealogy research. Participants will learn how to start with family knowledge, organize information, choose reliable online resources, and avoid common mistakes. The presentation explains how to move from home sources to historical records and build a clear research plan. Attendees will leave with practical strategies and confidence to begin tracing their family history.
Alina Khuda is a professional genealogist, forensic researcher, and international speaker specializing in Eastern European records and complex legal research. She holds BA (Hons) and MA (Hons) degrees in Social Studies and Politics and has worked in the field of probate, court, and forensic genealogy since 2015. In 2016, she founded Khuda Genealogical Services, where she leads a large team of onsite researchers working across Europe and beyond. Her work frequently supports courts, attorneys, trustees, and private clients in identifying heirs, tracing unknown relatives, and locating historical documentation.
Alina is recognized for her expertise in Eastern European genealogical sources, including Jewish Galician, Orthodox, Greek Catholic, Old Believer, Lutheran, and Mennonite records. She has contributed research for government and non-government organizations and has served as a genealogy expert in criminal and probate cases in the United States. In addition to client work, she has experience in journalism and education, serving as a course editor and lecturer for genealogical training programs.
An active member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and other professional organizations, Alina presents internationally on methodology, archives, and Eastern European research strategies. Her work focuses on bridging historical records, legal documentation, and migration history to help families and institutions reconstruct connections across borders and generations.
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Bringing Your Ancestors to Life: Going Beyond the Facts
Presented By: Karen A. Fortin on September 10, 2026 10:30 am
Using a case study approach, this presentation will explore how you can use traditional resources such as vital records, census records, land records, and newspapers to uncover more about the lives, experiences, and even personalities of your ancestors.
Karen A. Fortin has degrees in history and library and information science and a passion for research. She worked in public libraries for over 30 years before starting her genealogical business in 2016. She is a member of various local, state, and national genealogical societies, the Association of Professional Genealogists, and the Genealogical Speakers Guild. She loves to help people explore their family history so that they can better understand their ancestors and the world in which they lived.
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What Did You Just Find? Evaluating Sources and Evidence with Confidence
Presented By: Cheri Hudson Passey on September 10, 2026 12:00 pm
You found a record. Great! But does it really say what you think it says, and does it fit your ancestor? This session shows how to take an honest look at exciting finds, sort out what is solid, what feels shaky, and what needs more digging. Learn practical ways to evaluate sources and evidence so you can avoid chasing the wrong people and build your family tree with confidence.
Cheri Hudson Passey is a professional genealogist, instructor, writer, speaker, and owner of Carolina Girl Genealogy, LLC. She hosts 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 numerous genealogy societies and organizations and serves on the board of the National Genealogical Society. Cheri writes the blog “Carolina Girl Genealogy,” sharing her genealogy tips, methodologies, family stories, and research adventures, and is the author of “Genealogy in Reverse: Finding the Living. A Practical Guide for All Genealogists.
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Organizing Your Digital Files-Apps and Tips for Your Phone & Laptop
Presented By: Cynthia K Patton on September 10, 2026 1:30 pm
Having trouble finding that death certificate for Grandpa Johnson on your laptop? Can’t remember if you have a copy of a tombstone photo you took last week on your phone? Digital files are wonderful—but naming, filing, organizing, and searching for them can be daunting.
Whether you use your smart phone or laptop/tablet there are a multitude of apps and programs to make your genealogy research easier. There are applications to scan, decipher, translate, enhance and restore photos, and even take notes. Using your phone’s GPS can help you locate and preserve information about ancestor grave sites. Using the 3 C’s – color, consistency, and naming conventions along with your new arsenal of apps—you will learn how to tackle the tasks and regain control of your digital files. We will explore cloud storage options, redundant backups, and provide many examples of best practices in organization.
Cynthia Keefer Patton is a professional genealogist from Kansas City, Missouri, a member of the Heartland Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), and Registrar for the White Alloe Chapter, DAR. She is a BU Certification Program graduate. Cynthia retired from the US Army and has degrees in both Journalism and Political Science. She has presented for numerous historical, genealogical, and civic organizations and focuses on lineage society and military research, organization, and time management for genealogists.
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Cousins, Clusters, and Chromosomes: Making Sense of Your DNA Matches
Presented By: Paula Williams on September 10, 2026 3:00 pm
Among our many DNA matches are puzzles, gems, and a lot of confusion. We’ll talk about ways to work through our matches and learn more about them and how they can help our family history.
Paula is a professional genealogist who has been researching for more than two decades in primarily southern US states and has been using DNA to solve problems for more than a decade. She has studied at IGHR, SLIG, GRIP, and the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed). In addition, she’s a board member of the Virginia Genealogical Society and of the Genealogical Research Institute of Virginia (GRIVA) and is the facilitator for the latter’s DNA Special Interest Group. She has taught at the IGHR and GRIP institutes and has lectured for Legacy Family Tree Webinars, RootsTech, the East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference, and for the National Genealogical Society conference, among other organizations. She also serves as the Virtual Tech Coordinator for the GRIP Genealogy Institute.
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September 10th is a Free Getting Started Day!
On September 11th-12th, we will have two daily tracks with exciting classes!
This listing is for the Getting Started Day only. To register for the full conference, go to: Summit of Excellence
