We are so grateful to each of our instructors who volunteer their time and present at the Jamboree.
Kelli Bergheimer is a writer, teacher, editor, and international genealogical speaker. Kelli holds a Bachelor’s in Biology, a Master’s in Education: Curriculum and Instruction, and a Master’s in Business Management. Kelli is the Director of Curriculum and Assessments for Blue Kayak, a K-12 textbook company. She also works as the Director of Education for Your DNA Guide. Kelli runs a small business—Mess on the Desk, a genealogical organization company with a YouTube channel. Kelli is the facilitator for Genetics, Genealogy, and You, an online DNA Interest Group. Kelli is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and the Genealogical Speaker’s Guild.
Michael Garrambone is a retired Army Officer and Military Operations Research Analyst for InfoSciTex Corporation in Dayton, Ohio. He graduated from the University of Florida in Engineering Science and Mechanics and earned Master degrees in operations research, business, and education. He is a staff librarian at the Dayton East Family History Center in Fairborn, Ohio with interests are in Italian genealogy, historical research, computer graphics, and teaching. He has been researching family history since 1980, tracking Italians, African Americans, and Native Americans from Italy to the Virginias and South Central States. He is a web browser, database keeper, map user, and faithful correspondent. He enjoys scanning and editing and researching sources at the local, state, and national levels. He is working on several oral histories and organizing family photograph books.
Dick Gualt is single, Parent of 4 Adult Kids; 3 Daughters and 1 Son. Papa of 4 Grandsons and 4 Granddaughters. US ARMY Veteran; Military Police And Recruiter Genealogist/Historian 45+ Years Experience Former Butler County Archivist Former President of Butler County’s 3 Genealogy Societies; Butler Chapter OGS, Southwest Butler County Genealogy Society, Southern Pride Genealogical Society. Cemetery Preservation, Military Research, Military Grave Stones Including 380+ Military Grave Stones Ordered/Set in Cemetery. Missing Heirs/Adoptions. Courthouse/Archives Records Research.
Peggy Clemens Lauritzen, AG, FOGS, author of several Legacy QuickGuides on Appalachia, is an instructor at Ancestry Academy, Family Tree University, and columnist for Reminisce magazine. Peggy was named Fellow of the Ohio Genealogical Society, and is the 2018 recipient of the Laura G. Prescott Award for Exemplary Service to Professional Genealogy. She and her husband, Kerry are Family History Center Directors in Mansfield, Ohio.
Dana Palmer, CG®, CGL(SM) specializes in lineage society applications, publishing family books, and Midwestern research – specifically Ohio. She also has experience researching in the U.K, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania. In addition to her client work, she reviews military repatriation cases for Eagle Investigative Services, Inc., is part of the Silver Books team for the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, and lectures at RootsTech, the National Genealogical Society (NGS), and the Ohio Genealogical Society (OGS) conferences. She became a certified genealogist (CG) in 2009 and a certified genealogical lecturer (CGL) in 2019. She has been a genealogy instructor at Sinclair Community College since 2010. She belongs to several lineage societies including ISDUP, NSDAR, USD 1812, and Colonial Dames. She has received numerous awards for her books and volunteer efforts. She loves problem solving and tracking down those elusive ancestors!
Janet Parker comes from a line of avid genealogists. At the age of fifty she decided to return to school and learn the skills necessary to carry on the family’s research. Janet received her AAS degree in Family History Research from Brigham Young University Idaho in 2021. She is a mother of four adult boys and currently lives in Dayton, Ohio with her husband Dave. She has four grandchildren which are the light of her life. Janet currently serves as a family history trainer in the Dayton Ohio First Ward and as a Stake Temple and Family History consultant in the Dayton Ohio East Stake, specializing in indexing. Janet enjoys volunteering at the FamilySearch Center in Fairborn and looks forward to the reopening of the Columbus Temple.
Jim Phillabaum was born and raised in the Miami Valley. He served in the United States Marine
Corps from 1963 to 1972. He is a retired Firefighter/Paramedic and is also retired from First
Financial Bank. Jim has been involved in Family History for the better part of 6 decades. He
has been in demand as a speaker and instructor in multiple genealogical subjects.
Anne Wachs has been a reference librarian with the Washington-Centerville Public Library for over a decade. During her tenure, she has helped numerous patrons with genealogy research. Under her direction, WCPL offers monthly genealogy interest groups, genealogy workshops concentrating on Ancestry Library Edition, and several programs from outside speakers on a variety of genealogical topics.