Delegate Council Steering Committee

The Delegate Council Steering Committee (DCSC) is a group of dedicated volunteers whose role is to ensure the Delegate Council engages its purpose of “Building the Community of Genealogy Organizations through Collaboration, Communication, and Counsel” within the National Genealogical Society (NGS).

After the merger of NGS and the Federation of Genealogical Societies in 2020, the DCSC was formed to help create the Delegate Council as an advisory body that would give member organizations representation and a voice. Its work is now ongoing in the new NGS to support the Delegate Council’s operations and leadership. The DCSC provides advice and guidance to the chair and vice chair and may be called upon to complete tasks related to the council’s governance and activities.

Committee terms begin on 1 October each year. Meet the current members:

Kate Townsend

Kate Townsend, 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 and is enrolled in ProGen 58. She currently serves as the Co-Program Chair of the North Hills Genealogists. She is a member of APG and NGS.

Karen Molohon

Karen Molohon, vice chair, 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.

Kristi Sexton

Kristi Sexton, secretary, is an experienced genealogist, speaker, and instructor. With a master’s degree in auditing, looking for the missing piece comes natural to her. Kristi teaches for the family history program at Brigham Young University – Idaho and is a graduate of ProGen 42. She currently serves as president of the Orange County California Genealogical Society while being heavily involved with FamilySearch as an affiliate library and book scanning center in her area. She is a member of APG and NGS.

Sue Fitzpatrick

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.

Cheri Hudson Passey

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

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 currently serves as president. 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.