The Delegate Council Steering Committee is an advisory group to help create the representative body for societies and organizations in the “new NGS.” It is comprised of genealogy societies, libraries, and other organizations located throughout the United States. They are:
W. Samuel Williams, chair, is a professional genealogist with a focus on Central Virginia, African American, and Greek American research. Sam received the NGS Certificate in American Genealogical Studies and is currently in ProGen Study Group 50. He has presented on genealogical topics to local societies and at conferences. He serves on the Program Committee for the Virginia Beach Genealogical Society and is a member of APG, NGS, Virginia Genealogical Society, and the Virtual Genealogical Association.
Kate Townsend, vice chair, is an experienced researcher, investigator and genealogist who turned her passion for family history into a business: Family History Investigations, LLC. Kate previously worked as an investigator in Corporate America. She brings this investigative know-how to her genealogical record sleuthing and analysis. Kate completed Boston University’s Certificate in Genealogical Research in Spring 2020. She is enrolled in ProGen 58. She currently serves as the co-program chair of the North Hills Genealogists and is the Publicity Chairperson for the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society. She is a member of APG and NGS.
Dawn Carey Henry, past chair, is a professional genealogist and founder of Discover Your Roots, a family history and genealogical research firm. She received her Certificate in Genealogical Research in 2014 from Boston University and is a graduate of ProGen 25. She served as the president, conference chair, and genealogist of the Illinois State Genealogical Society as well as the conference chair for her local society. She is an active member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), International Society for British Genealogy and Family History, NGS, and Utah Genealogical Association, and a Guild Member of the Ulster Historical Foundation.
Sue Fitzpatrick has, from a young age cultivated a knowledge of early New England history. This has been key in exploring her families’ deep roots in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. She is currently retired, which has provided for the opportunity to contribute in numerous ways in the research and preservation on local history in her community. She currently serves as an officer on multiple local, state, and national historical and lineage society boards including current National Membership Director, National Society Descendants of American Farmers (NSDOAF) which includes research and development, California State Recording Secretary, Daughters of American Colonists and California State Society Corresponding Secretary Colonial Dames XVII Century. She has served for 3 years as the Board Librarian for the Santa Clara County Historical & Genealogical Society. Additional active memberships include National Genealogical Society, Minnesota Genealogical Society, and Wisconsin State Genealogical Society.
Susan K. Howard has been interested in genealogy since she took a course in genetics in college in the 1970s. After a thirty-year career in the USAF, she retired and turned her focus to genealogy. She has attended many genealogy classes with an emphasis on DNA and conferences. Her family research interests include Irish, Welsh, and German. Howard is a member of NGS; vice president and webmaster of her local genealogical society in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and a member of the organizing committee for The Genealogy Show in Birmingham, England.
Taneya Y. Koonce, MSLS volunteers extensively in the genealogy community. In addition to being a member of NGS, she is currently serving as president of the Nashville Chapter of the Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society. She also is assistant editor-in-chief of FamilyScrybeTM magazine, and coordinator of multiple county websites for the USGenWeb Project.
Lois Abromitis Mackin, PhD is a professional genealogist specializing in American and English research. She lectures and teaches in the upper Midwest. She is first vice president of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Minnesota and registrar for the Minnesota State Society Daughters of the American Revolution. She is a past president and founding member of the Northland chapter, APG; past vice president, director, and education chair of the Minnesota Genealogical Society (MGS); and founding member of the MGS DNA Interest Group. She is also a member of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, NGS, and Wisconsin State Genealogical Society.
Karen Molohon is active in the genealogical community serving as an instructor, lecturer, and society officer as well as doing genealogy research for over 40 years. Karen teaches the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute’s genealogy courses at Kennesaw State University. She also presents genealogy seminars at local and regional genealogy meetings and national conferences. Karen is active in the genealogical community serving as webmaster and NGS Delegate for the Cobb County Genealogical Society and previously held other positions. She is currently the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) Director and Past president of the Georgia Genealogical Society and previously held other positions. Karen is a member of APG, Cobb County Genealogical Society, Georgia Genealogical Society, Illinois State Genealogical Society, NGS, and Fielding Lewis Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Cheri Hudson Passey is a professional genealogist, instructor, writer, and speaker and the owner of Carolina Girl Genealogy, LLC. She is the host of the genealogy chat show GenFriends and is a genealogical researcher, subcontracted by Eagle Investigative Services, Inc., for the US Army Past Conflict Repatriations Branch. She is a member of NGS, a past president of The Grand Strand Genealogy Club, and currently serves as its program chair. She is treasurer of GeneaBloggersTRIBE and served as secretary for the Federation of Genealogical Societies before the merger with NGS where she currently serves as vice president, Society & Organization Management.
Barbara J. “Judy” Quigley Fenner started researching her family history fifty years ago and has not stopped trying to uncover information, especially on the Irish side of her family. She is a member of NGS, the New England Historic Genealogical Society, and Cape Cod Genealogical Society where she chairs the Bylaws Committee. She also is a past president of the Falmouth Genealogical Society and co-chair of two New England Regional Genealogical Consortium conferences. She is a speaker and instructor on genealogy and is bilingual in English and Portuguese.
