About the Speakers

Curt Witcher, Director of Special Collections at the Allen County Public Library

Curt Witcher is the Director of Special Collections at the Allen County Public Library, managing the Genealogy Center as well as the Rolland Center for Lincoln Research. He is a former president of both the Federation of Genealogical Societies and the National Genealogical Society, and the founding president of the Indiana Genealogical Society. Curt currently serves on the Indiana State Historical Records Advisory Board, the Northeast Indiana Jewish Genealogy Society board of directors as well as an advisor for the African American Genealogical Society of Fort Wayne.

J. Mark Lowe, FUGA, Ky-Tn Research Associates Researcher

J. Mark Lowe describes himself as “born to be curious.” He is a professional genealogist, author, and lecturer who specializes in original records and manuscripts throughout the South. Mark enjoys opportunities to share what he has learned over the years through YouTube, Webinars, and Institutes. He serves as the Course Coordinator for ‘Research in the South’ at IGHR (Georgia), SLIG (Utah), and TIGR (Texas), does Webinars for Legacy Family Tree Webinars and has worked on several genealogical television series including Follow Your Past, African American Lives 2, Who Do You Think You Are? and UnXplained Events, and podcasts, including Twice Removed and Blast From My Past. Mark has published in the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly (APGQ), National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ), FGS’ FORUM. The Longhunter (So. Ky. Genealogical Society), Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society Quarterly, North Carolina Genealogical Quarterly, and other society publications. He is a Past President of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), and Past President of the Southern Kentucky Genealogical Society Mark is a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Society and was awarded the Graham T. Smallwood award and Lifetime Membership award by the Association of Professional Genealogists.

Sherri Taggart Ahmadzadeh, Chief Genealogist at Family Tree Tracer, LLC

Sherri Taggart Ahmadzadeh is a professional genealogist with over four decades of experience in family history research. A native Texan, her passion for genealogy was sparked in 1982 by the family stories her grandmother shared. Since then, she has dedicated her career to uncovering and preserving the past, specializing in 19th- and 20th-century U.S. research. Sherri holds a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University, an undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University, and undertook her masters work at the University of Houston. Before transitioning to full-time genealogical work, she had a successful career as a marketing professional. She previously worked at NASA in Houston before moving to Waco, where she founded Family Tree Tracer, LLC, providing research services to clients nationwide. She has contributed research for the PBS series Finding Your Roots and specializes in helping individuals uncover their ancestral histories using both traditional and genetic genealogy methods. She is an active member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), the National Genealogical Society, and multiple state and local genealogy organizations, including the Texas State Genealogical Society and the Central Texas Genealogical Society (CTGS). A former board member of CTGS, she currently leads the society’s DNA Special Interest Group. Beyond genealogy, Sherri has a deep love for music. She especially cherished her time performing with the Houston Symphony Chorus. When she isn’t immersed in research, she enjoys time with her husband, their grown son, and their beloved four-legged companion.

Sandra Crowley, Director of Development for the Texas State Genealogical Society

Sandra Crowley, FTxSGS, is an award-winning genealogist, author, and lecturer who grew up attending family reunions and developed a natural curiosity about her family history. She speaks at local, regional and national events, including RootsTech. Currently, Sandra serves as Director of Development for the Texas State Genealogical Society (TxSGS), co-editor of Stirpes, the Journal of the Texas State Genealogical Society, and Director of the Texas Institute of Genealogical Research (TIGR).  As producer and editor for the North Carolina Genealogical Society’s Webinar Library, Sandra serves as Chair of Virtual Events, which hosts an annual virtual conference.

She previously served as Vice President of Membership for TxSGS; as President, Vice President of Education, Executive Vice President, Immediate Past President, and FGS Delegate for the Dallas Genealogical Society; President of the Mid-Cities Genealogical Society; editor of the DGS Newsletter, and managing editor of DGS’s Pegasus: The Journal of the Dallas Genealogical Society.

She has a business degree from the University of Memphis and served as Vice President of Marketing and a marketing consultant for several technology companies. Sandra was named a Fellow of the Texas State Genealogical Society in 2021.

Jessica Horne Collins, President of the Clayton Library Friends

A former information systems analyst, Jessica Horne Collins now documents ancestors rather than software bugs. Jessica is a past contributing editor for Stirpes, the journal of the Texas State Genealogical Society, and has published in other Texas and Louisiana journals.  In addition to client research, she volunteers at Houston Public Library's Family History Research Center at the Clayton Library Campus and serves as president of its support organization, Clayton Library Friends. An eighth-generation Louisianan, Jessica’s research interests include her home state as well as Texas, Mississippi, and locations across the Deep South.

Hannah Kubacak, Librarian from the Waco-McLennan County Library’s Genealogy Center

Hannah Kubacak is a Waco, Texas, native with a life-long interest in family stories. Since 2015, she has been the reference librarian at the Waco Genealogy Center, where she helps others trace their ancestry. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Anthropology from the University of Texas at San Antonio and Master of Science in Library Science from the University of North Texas. She previously taught genealogy continuing education classes at McLennan Community College and worked for the Chickasaw Nation’s Holisso Research Center in Sulphur, Oklahoma. Her areas of research include the Five Civilized Tribes, Texas, and the Southeastern United States, however as a reference librarian, she assists individuals researching across the United States and beyond.