Drew Smith is an internationally-recognized genealogy educator, known for speaking, writing, podcasting, and graduate-level teaching. He holds a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering, an MS in Industrial Management, and an MA in Library and Information Science. Drew is best known for being the co-host of The Genealogy Guys Podcast, the host of the Genealogy Connection podcast, and one of the founders/admins for The Genealogy Squad Facebook group. He is vice-president of Aha! Seminars, Inc.

Drew is a regular speaker for the annual RootsTech conference. He has previously spoken for the National Genealogical Society, the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies, the Ohio Genealogical Society, the South Carolina Genealogical Society, the Alabama Genealogical Society, and the Southern California Genealogical Society. In addition, he speaks for numerous local genealogical societies and public libraries each year. His presentation topics include organizing information, genealogy methodology, basic DNA research, and online research.

Drew has written a number of books for the genealogical community, including Advanced Genealogy Research Techniques (co-authored with George G. Morgan), Organize Your Genealogy: Strategies and Solutions for Every Research, and Generation by Generation: A Modern Approach to the Basics of Genealogy. Since 1994 he has written numerous genealogy magazine articles, and for the past several years has been the productivity columnist for the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly (APGQ).

Drew is an associate librarian emeritus with the University of South Florida Libraries, having served as a librarian in the USF Tampa Library from 2007 until his retirement in 2023. He previously served from 1994 to 2007 as a full-time library science instructor for the USF School of Information. During that time, he created and began teaching a graduate-level course on the topic of genealogy librarianship. He continues to serve as an adjunct for the USF School of Information.

Courses

  • 2026 – Researching Your South Carolina Roots: Finding Family in the Palmetto State