Willie Stewart
Keynote

We are honored to welcome Willie Stewart as our 2024 Keynote.  

Willie Stewart is a Native Texan, and his family were sharecroppers.  He comes from a family of 11 children, 7 boys and 4 girls.  

Mr Stewart received a BS Degree from Texas Southern University in 1957 and a Master's Degree from Pacific Lutheran University in 1969.  

Willie had a long career in education in the Tacoma school district from 1960-1996.  He was a teacher for 6 years, assistant principal and principal for 12 years, and an assistant superintendent of Human Resources.

Willie Stewart also served our country in the military where he was on active duty for 2 years. Later Willie was a reservist for 30 years, where he retired as a Colonel-06 in 1990.

Willie Stewart has served in our community extensively with the following organizations- Palmer's Scholars, Boys and Girls Club of South Puget Sound, Tacoma Athletic Commission, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and Urban Grace Church.  

In addition to his community service, he has also participated in civic duties such as the Tacoma Human Rights Commission, Tacoma School Board, Tacoma Housing Authority, and Pierce County Housing Authority.

Willie’s wife, Faye Neal, passed in 2022 after 62 years of marriage. They have one son, a daughter, and a granddaughter.   

His passion,  All Sports!  Others say Willie works around the clock to make Tacoma, Pierce County, and the world a better place for us all. 

Thom Reed
Presenter

We are honored to welcome Thom Reed as our 2024 presenter.  

Thom Reed is a program manager for African heritage initiatives in North America for FamilySearch International. His area of emphasis is African American records, research, and experiences. He also manages relationships with community, genealogical, and historical organizations for people of African descent. Reed is leading the way for FamilySearch as a collaborative partner in the historic 10 Million Names project which is dedicated to recovering the names of the estimated ten million men, women, and children of African descent who were enslaved in pre- and post-colonial America between the 1500s and 1865.

Reed is a member of the National Genealogical Society, Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society of Chicago, and Black Family Genealogy and History Society (Phoenix). In 2019, he served on the national board of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS) as the vice president for genealogy.

In addition, Reed serves as bishop of the Eastlake 3rd Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in International Business with a minor in Japanese studies from Illinois State University and received his Master of Business Administration degree in Marketing from Brigham Young University. Before working for FamilySearch, Reed spent more than 10 years as a marketing, communications, and business development professional in the consumer-packaged goods, healthcare, and technology industries. 

He and his wife, Lisa, are the parents of 5 children and reside in South Jordan, Utah.

Wonder Daniels
Spoken Word Presenter

The Tacoma Family Search Center is located at the South end of the building, opposite side of the YMCA.