Keynote Session

J. Mark Lowe and Kent Whitworth

Please join us for our Keynote Session as these two entertaining gentlemen welcome you to the Federation of Genealogical Societies 2010 conference. Their wit and wisdom will set the mood for a fun but educational experience.

J. Mark Lowe is a full-time professional genealogist, author, and teacher who researches primarily in original records and manuscripts throughout the South. Mark has published articles in the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly, North Carolina Genealogical Society Quarterly, Genealogical Speakers Guild SPEAK!, The Longhunter, and other society publications. His weekly local history article appears in the Robertson County (Tennessee) Times.

As Director of the Regional In-depth Genealogical Studies Alliance, Mark has developed and directed (with the RIGSA team) week-long interactive learning sessions and hands-on research classes focusing on original documents and manuscripts at regional archives in cooperation with the National Archives and Records Administration. He is an instructor at the Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. Mark is a former officer and board member of FGS, Past-President of the Association of Professional Genealogists, a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association, and was the recipient of the 2007 Grahame T. Smallwood Jr. Award of Merit from the Association of Professional Genealogists.

Kent Whitworth, a seventh-generation Kentuckian, joined the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) as executive director in January 2004. During his tenure, KHS has focused on enhanced branding and marketing efforts, aggressively grown the KHS collections, raised funds for the KHS Foundation endowment, and reinstated the Kentucky Historymobile. Prior to joining KHS, Kent served as the director of the East Tennessee Historical Society in Knoxville.

Kent has a B.A. in History from Asbury College as well as an M.A. in History with an emphasis in Historic Preservation from Middle Tennessee State University. He served as director of marketing and public relations for Asbury College for four years. Kent currently serves on the Council for the American Association for State and Local History and is a 2007 graduate of Leadership Kentucky. He and his wife, Sarah, have two children - Andrew (16) and Margaret (12).