Stephanie O’Connell Named as Recipient of 2026 APG Fellowship
19 January 2026
Stephanie O'Connell, CG® of Seattle, Washington, USA (left) has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) Fellowship with her proposal “Recovering Irish Women in the Records.”The Fellowship awards an APG member up to USD $2,500 to undertake a culturally-immersive research opportunity outside of their country of residence focused on professional, academic, and/or personal development related to their genealogical practice. APG is the world’s largest organization of genealogy professionals, with more than 2,000 members in 40+ countries.
A researcher, writer, and educator, O’Connell is a frequent speaker at genealogy conferences in the United States. She serves as Director of Education for the Seattle Genealogical Society and is a ProGen Study Group Mentor.
O’Connell’s professional work centers on Irish research, women’s history, and advanced evidence analysis. Her proposal for the APG Fellowship aims to complete the development of an innovative methodological framework, the HER® method (Historicize, Expand, Reconstruct), for reconstructing the lives of Irish women. O’Connell plans to apply the method to two case studies via a wide range of sources at local and national repositories in Ireland, visiting Dublin, Cork City, and Limerick in September and October 2026.
“Throughout my research, I have been drawn to reconstructing women's lives—especially in Ireland, where archival losses compound women's historical underrepresentation,” said O’Connell. “This fellowship will allow me to further develop a methodological framework that helps genealogists recover not only women's identities, but their lived experiences.”
Following the completion of the Fellowship, O’Connell intends to share her findings through presentations, publishing an article with APG, and a practitioner’s guide.
“The International Affairs Committee found Stephanie’s proposal to be impressive and well-defined with significant potential benefits for APG and the wider genealogical community,” said APG President Tricia Seguine. “While her proposal is focused on Irish genealogy, the challenges of identifying female ancestors exist worldwide.”
More information about the APG Fellowship and other awards and scholarships can be found at apgen.org.