Congratulations to the Newly Elected NGS Board Officers and Directors
The National Genealogical Society (NGS) announced the results of its election of 2027-2028 officers and board members at the Annual Meeting on 14 October 2026. NGS also reported that the membership approved the proposed amendment to the Articles of Incorporation. Thank you to the individual members and organization member delegates who voted.
Congratulations to the leaders in our community who will begin their terms on 1 January 2027.
- President: André Kearns (Washington, DC)
- Vice President: Ellen Pinckney Balthazar (Texas)
- Vice President for Society and Organization Management: Dawn Carey Henry (Michigan)
- Secretary: Michelle Enke, MLIS (Kansas)
- Treasurer: Douglas Klein, CPA (Ohio)
- Director, Region 1: Marlis Humphrey (Arizona)
- Director, Region 2: Lisa Fanning (Indiana)
- Director at Large: Eric Allen (Utah)
- Director at Large: Reem Awad-Rashmawi, JD (California)
- Director at Large: Edgie E. Donakey (Utah)
- Director at Large: Geraldine Knatz, CG (California)
- Director at Large: Terri Ward (Florida)
We are grateful for the board members continuing their service who were not up for election this year and have terms that end in 2028.
- Director, Region 3: Cheri Hudson Passey (South Carolina)
- Director, Region 4: Rev. Fr. Symeon Williams (Pennsylvania)
- Director at Large: John Dougan (Missouri)
- Director at Large: Judy Nimer Muhn (Michigan)
- Past President: David E. Rencher, AG, CG, FUGA, FIGRS, FNGS, FSG (Utah)
Executive Director Matt Menashes, CAE, is a non-voting member of the board.
We express thanks to current Past President Kathryn M. Doyle and Vice President for Society and Organization Management Karen Molohon, both of whom will leave the Board when their terms end on 31 December 2026. We are grateful for their service to NGS and leadership in the genealogy community.
For more information on the newly elected and continuing officers and directors, view or download the election profiles.
In 2024, the membership approved changes to Article IV of the Society’s Articles of Incorporation. The board has now adopted additional revisions to Article IV that were approved by the membership to simplify the Society’s election process. The revisions give the Board more flexibility to determine how many directors it wants in the future since amending the Articles is a tedious and costly process, make it easier to find the best candidates for the Board while maintaining geographical diversity, and change the starting date for officer and director terms to the start of the fiscal year following their election, which is currently 1 January.
For more on these updates, view or download a PDF of the now-approved amendment to the Articles of Incorporation.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Annual Meeting. We look forward to exciting work in the year ahead!
