2023 Board Election Results

The Utah Genealogical Association recently held elections for board positions and the following are the election results!

Returning Board Members:

Bonnie Andersen lives in Lehi, Utah. She attended Salt Lake Community College and earned certificates in both U.S. Genealogy Research and Writing, and International Genealogy Research and Writing. As a single young woman, she attended Brigham Young University, 1979-1982, where she met her husband of nearly 42 years. They have six daughters and twelve grandchildren. At the age of thirty-six, she found my birth mother. The next year she found my birth father. From that point on she has delved into as many records about her biological family as her shovel can scrape up. She has written generational research reports about some of them and still have many to finish. There have been so many miracles connected to her research. Bonnie has been the committee chair for the UGA First Families of Utah. Part of this responsibility includes reviewing pioneer applications submitted by their fine descendants. She has so enjoyed reading the many stories of their lives and is excited to be able to continue on with this position.

Michael Crowther is a strong proponent for technology-driven genealogy. He has a double-major bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in Genealogy and Computer Science. He has been on the UGA board over the Technology Committee serving also as the Webmaster for a little more than a year. He has been an employee of FamilySearch for three years and is currently a Software Engineer working on tools for index improvement. On the side, he is working on his own software projects - one to auto-generate guided genealogy tasks and another to set and track habits. In his free time, he enjoys running, swimming, using his 3d-printer, spending time with friends and family, playing board games, and solving ciphers. 

Peggy Clemens Lauritzen, AG, FOGS, has an amazing ability to bring laughter into the lives of her audience members. One of her favorite photos is a picture of her mother on her way to a church picnic, then on to an afternoon of cemetery transcribing. It was taken just four days before Peggy was born! Having grown up with parents that were deeply involved in genealogy takes her love of family history to a new level. Some people are amazed that she knew people that were actually born in the 1800’s; her own grandparents. Listening to the stories from bygone years, touching the fabrics from quilts, dresses, blessing gowns, and bonnets all have added to the admiration of previous generations. Peggy is a frequent lecturer at many local societies in Ohio, as well as Family History seminars. She has presented at Brigham Young University, and ICAPGen, and taught Continuing Education classes at several community colleges and The Ohio State University. One of her proudest moments was achieving the credentials that qualified her to be an Accredited Genealogist, for it polished her research skills. She is a featured columnist in Reminisce magazine, has written several Legacy QuickGuides, and has filmed as an instructor for Ancestry Academy, and worked as a researcher for Ancestry ProGenealogists. She was recognized for her work by being award the title of Fellow of the Ohio Genealogical Society in 2018, as well as receiving the Laura G. Prescott Award for Exemplary Service in Genealogy. 

New Board Members:

Angie Holbrook Stewart's interest in genealogy began as a child on the family room floor leafing through the giant multi-generational ancestral books her great-grandparents assembled. Years later, a beloved grandmother handed her an accordion stack of files and asked for help researching her paternal line. This request resulted in over 21 years of genealogical research, a return to higher education, and a love of connecting families. In April 2021, she graduated from Brigham Young University – Idaho in University Studies with a certificate and associate degree in Family History Research. Currently, she is in her second year at the University of Strathclyde working on a master’s degree in Genealogical, Paleographic & Heraldic Studies. She loves genetic genealogy and has taken several courses through her schooling and on her own to enhance her skills in this field.

Amy Rose Ward has been involved in genealogy in different capacities for several years and always finds it a pleasure to help people discover more about their roots. In 2022 she graduated with her Masters in Genealogical, Palaeographic and Heraldic Studies from University of Strathclyde in Scotland. Her dissertation allowed her to hone academic research, analysis, and writing skills, and she loved delving into the communities and people of Tremonton and Bear River City, Utah through her research topic. Currently she is working at the FamilySearch Library as a volunteer on the US/Canada floor. Her research areas of focus are Great Britain, as well as the Midwest and New England regions. She has over a decade of experience in non-profit work. In 2011 she started a community orchestra and strings education program and has served continuously as the president of that board. One day a week she volunteers downtown at the FamilySearch Library to increase her knowledge and get out of the house!