NGS Board Selects Matt Menashes as Executive Director

NATIONAL GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY^®

6400 Arlington Blvd., Suite 810

Falls Church, VA 22042-2318

Phone 703-525-0050 or 800-473-0060

NGSgenealogy.org

Matt Menashes Tapped as Executive Director

of National Genealogical Society 

Matt Menashes

The NGS Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Matt Menashes as the Society’s executive director. A veteran executive with twenty years’ experience in association management, he will begin his employment with NGS on 1 November 2019. Menashes will lead all operational aspects, while working with the Board to develop a shared vision for the future as NGS moves toward a merger with the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) by October 2020.

Menashes comes to NGS from the natural resources sector, where he was a senior executive in associations in outdoor recreation, coastal and marine management, wildlife, and forestry. He has driven increases in member engagement, revenue, and educational programming for multiple organizations. He is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) and a longtime member of both the American Society of Association Executives and BoardSource. Menashes currently serves on the Board of Leveling the Playing Field, a charity that provides sports equipment to underserved youth throughout the Washington, DC/Baltimore region.

According to Ben Spratling, president of the NGS Board, Menashes was selected through an extensive process that attracted almost two hundred applicants. “We are excited Matt has accepted the position as our executive director. He has an impressive record of identifying and implementing sustainable, long-term growth strategies and is especially gifted at delivering positive results for members. The NGS Board and staff look forward to the innovation and experience Matt will bring to our organization, especially as we move toward our next phase.”

”I am thrilled to have been chosen to serve as NGS’s executive director and to be welcomed into the genealogy community,” Menashes said. “I look forward to working with our great team at NGS and our colleagues at the Federation of Genealogical Societies to move the merger forward, build on our great service to the community, and expand the ways genealogists share and learn together. What a great time to be joining a field with such a wonderful reputation and such significance for families around the world."

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Founded in 1903, the NationalGenealogical Society is dedicated to genealogical education, exemplary standards of research, and the preservation of genealogical records. The Falls Church, Virginia, based nonprofit is the premier national society for everyone, from the beginner to the most advanced family historian, seeking excellence in publications, educational offerings, and guidance in research. It also offers many opportunities to interact with other genealogists.

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NGS and FGS Announce Intent to Merge

NATIONAL GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY^®

6400 Arlington Blvd., Suite 810

Falls Church, VA 22042-2318

Phone 703-525-0050 or 800-473-0060

NGSgenealogy.org

Press Release

Contact: Kathryn M. Doyle

Phone: 510-388-6477

kdoyle@ngsgenealogy.org

Embargoed until 9:00 a.m. EDT 21 August 2019

NGS AND FGS ANNOUNCE INTENT TO MERGE

In a historic move, the boards of the National Genealogical Society (NGS) and the Federation of GenealogicalSocieties (FGS) announced today their intent to merge. The two organizations, both non-profit leaders in the dynamic genealogy industry, will form one consolidated group that will continue to operate as the National Genealogical Society. Both boards approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) earlier this week, and jointly announced the news at the Opening Session of the FGS Family History Conference in Washington, D.C., this morning.

Leaders of both organizations believe this merger will serve the genealogy community by improving support of both individual members and societies in the pursuit of genealogical excellence.

The organizational structure of NGS will be modified to increase functions that support genealogical societies and family organizations. Digitization projects of genealogical importance such as the War of 1812 pensions will continue. The two organizations will continue to operate independently while all details of the merger are completed, no later than October 1, 2020.

Faye Stallings, President of FGS, said: “We are excited about this opportunity to combine with a premier organization that has been in operation since 1903. This will allow for improved and expanded services to help support societies.” Ben Spratling, President of NGS, commented, “We look forward to continuing the strong legacy of FGS as a ‘gathering point’ for family historians and societies all across the nation.”

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Founded in 1903, the NationalGenealogical Society is dedicated to genealogical education, exemplary standards of research, and the preservation of genealogical records. The Falls Church, Virginia, based nonprofit is the premier national society for everyone, from the beginner to the most advanced family historian, seeking excellence in publications, educational offerings, and guidance in research. It also offers many opportunities to interact with other genealogists.

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