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2026 Spring In-Person Putting Skills to Work

Spring 2026 Putting Skills to Work

The BCG Education Fund is pleased to announce our Spring 2026 Putting Skills to Work event which will be held at the Grand Wayne Convention Center, Fort Wayne, Indiana, as part of the National Genealogical Society 2026 Family History Conference.

Two independent workshops will be held in-person at the National Genealogical Society 2026 Family History Conference on Wednesday, Wednesday 27 May 2026 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Check-in will start 30 minutes before each workshop begins. Lunch will be on your own.

Registration is now open. Attendance for each workshop is capped at 30 attendees. The fee for each workshop is $100. The event will not be recorded or live-streamed. Register here as part of the National Genealogical Society Family History Conference.

Genealogy Standards in Context: A Practical Approach

Instructor: Angela Packer McGhie, CG®

Detailed Workshop Description: Do you find it difficult to bridge the guidance provided by Genealogy Standards into practical application in your work? Do you hunger for specific examples of work that meets standards? With a combination of classroom-style instruction, hands-on activities, and group discussions, you will learn practical application of the standards to answer your genealogy questions and reach accurate conclusions. The session will help you to:

  • Assess when you have done enough to meet the requirement for reasonably exhaustive research
  • Engage in analysis and correlation to test the evidence
  • Resolve conflicts with confidence 

DNA Standards in Context: A Practical Approach

Instructor: karen stanbary, CG®, CGG®

Detailed Workshop Description: Do you find it difficult to bridge the guidance provided by Genealogy Standards into practical application in your work with DNA evidence? Do you hunger for specific examples of work using DNA evidence that meets standards? Do you dream of questions you can use to assess your work against the Genealogical Proof Standard? With a combination of classroom-style instruction, hands-on activities, and group discussions, you will learn practical application of the standards related to DNA to answer your genealogy questions and reach accurate conclusions. The session will help you to:

  • Assess when you have enough DNA test takers to meet the requirement for reasonably exhaustive research
  • Engage in correlation to test hypothesized biological relationships with documented relationships
  • Resolve conflicts in documented relationships using genetic evidence

Attendee Prerequisite Knowledge for Both Workshops: Familiarity with the Board for Certification of Genealogists’ publication Genealogy Standards. 

Instructor Bios

Angela Packer McGhie, CG®, FUGA, is passionate about genealogy education. She serves as the President of the Board for Certification of Genealogists. She coordinates courses at national genealogical institutes and is a popular conference presenter. Angela was the Education Director for NGS for five years and has published articles in the APG Quarterly, Crossroads Magazine, and the NGS Magazine.

Karen Stanbary, CG®, CGG® is an author and national lecturer focusing on topics related to using genetic evidence correlated with documentary evidence to solve genealogical brick walls. She serves as a Trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists and is chair of its standing DNA Committee. Her genealogical practice specializes in Midwestern U.S., Chicago, and Mexican research, as well as complex problem-solving, unknown parentage, and DNA analysis. She coordinates courses at national genealogical institutes and is a popular conference presenter.

 

Past Putting Skills to Work

Past workshops and instructors

Mary McCampbell Bell, CG. “Abstracting Records: Land Records,” 2003, 2004. “Abstracting Documents,” 2007.
Jeanne Larzalere Bloom, CG. “Spreadsheets 201: Manipulating Data to Dismantle Brick Walls,” 2016.
Melinde Lutz Byrne, CG, FASG, FNGS. “Editor’s Ink: Writing for Genealogical Journals,” 2012.
Victor S. Dunn, CG. “I Rest My Case: Constructing a Convincing Proof Argument,” 2014.
Stefani Evans, CG. "Understanding the Records," 2021.
Ann Carter Fleming, CG, CGL, FNGS. “Writing Family History: Style, Index, and More,” 2009.
Kay Haviland Freilich, CG, CGL, FNGS. “Planning Research,” 2006. “Writing the Ancestral Story,” 2009.
Margaret Rose Fortier, CG. "Applying Standards to Writing for Publication," 2025.
Harold Henderson, CG. "Making Genealogical Conclusions Readable, Understandable, and Credible," 2021.
Marty Hiatt, CG. “Writing Reports,” 2006. “Arguing: Writing Proof Summaries,” 2007.
Patricia Lee Hobbs, CG, CGG. "Mastering Reasonably Exhaustive Research: Identifying, Analyzing, and Prioritizing," 2025.
Mary Kircher Roddy, CG, CGG. "Applying Standards to Writing for Publication," 2025.
Sharon Hoyt, CG. "Organizing and Analyzing Evidence for Genealogical Success," 2024.
Melissa Johnson, CG. "Meeting Standards with Twenty-First Century Research Reports," 2019.
Robbie Johnson, CG. "Research Insider: The Whole Story," 2023.
Jan Joyce, DBA, CG, CGL, AG. "Deconstruct to Reconstruct: Writing Proof Arguments for Maximum Impact," 2024.
Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL. "Walk a Mile in Their Shoes: Writing the Ancestors' Stories with Social History and Historical Context," 2022.
Karen Mauer Jones, CG, FGBS, FUGA. "Tackling the Family Narrative," 2022.
Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FNGS, FUGA. “Genealogical Documentation: What, Why, and How,” 2008. “Editing Your Own and Others’ Genealogical Writing,” 2012. "Citing All Kinds of Online Sources," 2018. "Detecting, Assessing, Assembling, and Reasoning from Genealogical Evidence," 2021.
Carolyn Ladd, JD, CG, AG. “Paper Trails & Legal Tales: Analyzing History One Record at a Time,” 2025.
Connie Lenzen, CG. “Historical Context: More Than A Timeline,” 2013. "Planning and Executing Reasonably Exhaustive Research; or, How to Ensure a Successful Hunt," 2018.
Barbara Vines Little, CG, FNGS, FVGS. “Working with Documents: From Discovery to What Comes Next,” 2011.
David McDonald, D.Min., CG. “Reach for the Power Tools: Transcriptions & Abstractions,” 2016.
Teresa Steinkamp McMillin, CG. "Research Insider: Putting the Puzzle Together," 2023.
Nancy A. Peters, CG. “Make Your Case: Correlating Evidence to Solve Genealogical Problems,” 2017. "Evidence Analysis: Theory, Practice, and the Real World," 2019. "Reporting on Research: Applying Standards Improves Written Communications," 2023.
Beverly Rice, CG. “The Path To Change And A Better Life—Migration,” 2013.
Judy Russell, JD, CG, CGL. "Understanding the Law," 2021. "Paper Trails & Legal Tales: Analyzing History One Record at a Time, 2025."
Sara A. Scribner, CG. “Make Your Case: Constructing and Writing Proof Discussions,” 2017.

Roster of Special Workshop Instructors

Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, CGL. “Genetic Genealogy: Effective Analysis and Correlation of DNA Test Results,” 2015.

The Credentials and their Designations, Certified Genealogist (CG), Certified Genetic Genealogist (CGG), and Certified Genealogical Lecturer (CGL), are registered certification marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®.

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