Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Summit of Excellence 2021 Theme and Keynote


 

We are excited to announce the theme and keynote speaker for UGA's Summit of Excellence 2021.

Summit of Excellence 2021 Theme

The Utah Genealogical Association’s motto is “Premier Genealogical Education.” It is at the heart of who we are and what we do. We strive to bring excellent education through a myriad of programs from monthly webinars to Crossroads magazine and local chapters to the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. As we approach our 50th anniversary of charter as an association by the state of Utah, we are pleased to celebrate and continue that legacy of high quality education at the 2021 UGA Summit of Excellence, our 3rd annual virtual conference.

The theme, “Commemorating 50 Years of Premier Genealogical Education,” will guide our experience this year as we expand the Summit of Excellence into a unique and powerful educational experience. The conference for 2021 will run from September 15th to the 18th and feature over 50 speakers in multiple tracks and sessions. The conference will also feature a full free “Getting Started Day” on September 15th.

We are proud of the legacy of UGA’s educational programs and efforts and look forward to celebrating that with you again this year. Registration for the conference will open April 24, 2021 at 10:00 am MST at registration.ugagenealogy.org.

 

Summit of Excellence 2021 Keynote Speaker

In celebration of the Summit of Excellence theme and UGA’s history, this year's keynote address will be “Looking Back in the Future” with D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS. We are excited to invite Joshua to speak on such a wonderful topic and to highlight his previous history as a former member of the Board of Directors for UGA and as one of UGA’s past historians.

D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS, is a nationally known and recognized genealogist. Passionate about the diverse and dynamic field of family history, Joshua is the President of the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society (NYG&B), an organization dedicated to preserving the stories of all New Yorkers. Previously, Joshua volunteered in leadership positions for the Federation of Genealogical Societies and other organizations. In 2017, Joshua was named as one of Library Journal’s Movers and Shakers. A popular author and speaker, Joshua has been a coordinator for courses at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) and the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP) and is the recipient of RootsTech’s Distinguished Presenter Award.

He holds an MLS (Archival Management) and an MA (History) from Simmons College, he has been a featured genealogist on Who Do You Think You Are? and he can be seen taking America through their past as a host on the popular PBS series, Genealogy Roadshow. Joshua resides in New York City.