PRESS RELEASE
10 October 2005

Contact:
Kathleen W. Hinckley, CG, Executive Director, Association of Professional Genealogists
P.O. Box 350998, Westminster, CO 80035-0998
Phone 303-422-9371, fax 303-456-8825, e-mail admin@apgen.org
Prepared by: Richard F. Robinson, CG, Information Officer,
Association of Professional Genealogists, e-mail dick.robinson@apgflorida.org

Learn to Be a (Better) Professional Genealogist
At a One-Day Conference in Boston Aug. 30;
Early Membership Registration Closes Dec. 31

Don’t miss the boat. Get on board now for the only one-day conference where family history enthusiasts learn how to become professional genealogists or grow already existing businesses.

The “ship” will sail from the historic port of Boston on Aug. 30, 2006 for the Professional Management Conference (PMC) of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG). “These annual gatherings that are open to the public have become very popular,” says PMC coordinator Donna M. Moughty of Darien, Connecticut. She advises APG members to secure passage by the early member registration deadline on Dec. 31, 2005. The conference will actually be held on land, as usual, but for Boston, the birthplace of American Genealogy, it carries a ship theme.

“There will be something new for everyone from professional genealogists to those just thinking of getting into the field—with general and specialized tracks of lectures,” Moughty says. Attendees will learn the business of genealogy, how to improve existing businesses, and about some of the hottest scholarly topics in the field, including DNA and kinship theory.
The conference will be anchored at the Hynes Convention Center, which will host the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) conference from Aug. 30 through Sept. 2, 2006. The PMC, actually a conference within a conference, will “board” passengers as early as 7 a.m. for a continental breakfast and “sail” at 7:45 a.m.

Morning topics and crew members on the main deck will be: “Stolen Ancestors: How to Identify, Reclaim, and Protect” (James Jeffrey of the Denver Public Library), “Kinship Theory for Genealogists” (Carolyn Earle Billingsly, PhD, a specialist in southern history), and “Print on Demand—A Publishing Option for Genealogists” (Birdie Monk Holsclaw, a Certified Genealogist and national lecturer, and Jake Gehring, a popular technology writer and lecturer from the LDS Church).

After lunch and drawings for door prizes, two simultaneous sessions will be held. On port side will be: “It’s a Small Biz: Genealogy Is Just the Product You Sell” (Beverly Rice, a Certified Genealogical Records Specialist and business owner), “Pricing Your Services” (Kory L. Meyerink, Accredited Genealogist and author from Salt Lake City), and “The Part-Time Genealogist: A Jekyll and Hyde Existence” (Ann Mohr Osisek, a Florida genealogy instructor with a day job).
On starboard side, the sessions are: “DNA for the Professional Genealogist” (Thomas Shawker, MD, nationally known author and lecturer), “The Role of the 21st Century Genealogist in International Probate Research” (Eileen M. O’Duill, Certified Genealogical Records Specialist and Certified Genealogical Lecturer based in Dublin, Ireland), and “Speaking!” (George G. Morgan, lecturer, author, and owner of a continuing education company). The “ship is scheduled to return to port about 5 p.m.,” says Moughty.

Anyone may attend the PMC by registering for at least Wednesday of the FGS conference and the PMC itself. PMC registration is limited and is $150 for non-members of APG. APG member registration fees are: $100 by Dec. 31, 2005 (early registration); $110 by July 1, 2006; and $150 thereafter (late registration).The professional conference fee includes its own syllabus, continental breakfast, networking luncheon, and many door prizes. Further program information is at the APG Web site, www.apgen.org, and registration is at the FGS site, www.fgs.org.
APG, based in Westminster, Colorado, near Denver, is the leading worldwide professional organization of genealogists and related professionals devoted to supporting high standards in the field. It has some 1,600 members worldwide in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and all other populated continents.
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