Two genealogists, who are members of GFLI societies, were recently named by The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society as two of the three 2026 honorees of its Preservation in Action annual series, which spotlights leaders whose work inspires, educates, and has a lasting impact on the genealogy and family history field.
Alex Calzareth is a director of Reclaim The Records, an organization which uses Freedom of Information laws to release important datasets and dig into official actions impacting records and records access. He recently became president of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Long Island, after several years on the board, and he also serves as the Research Director for JewishGen’s Germany Research Division.
Alec Ferretti is a nationally recognized advocate for public access to historical vital records. He serves as President of the New York Genealogy & Technology Group; is on the Boards of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) and Reclaim the Records (RTR); and is a frequent lecturer on the law and logistics of records access. At APG, Alec heads the organization’s advocacy efforts and at RTR, he is primarily in charge of content acquisition.
To read more about the honorees, go to: https://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/blog/2026-preservation-action-celebrating-advocate