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:

Karen Molohon

Karen Molohon, chair, is active in the genealogical community serving as an instructor, lecturer, and society officer. Karen has done genealogy research for over forty years and serves as the president and delegate for the Cobb County Genealogical Society. She is past director of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) and past president of the Georgia Genealogical Society. Karen is also a member of NGS, the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS), and Fielding Lewis Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).

Matt Weismantel

Matt Weismantel, vice chair, has been interested in genealogy all his life, researching his birth and adoptive families. He is pursuing genealogical certification, graduating from the NGS American Genealogical Studies courses and ProGen 47. Matt recently retired from a career as a higher education administrator and holds degrees in historical geography and certification in cartography. He volunteers at Ellis Island with the American Family Immigration History Center and the Research Library. Matt has served in leadership roles with the New Jersey Genealogical Society and New Jersey Chapter of APG, and was involved with the NJ Coalition for Adoption Reform & Education in its successful effort to open records. He is a member of NGS and several state and local societies and is the delegate for the Rogue Valley Genealogical Society.

Ashley Craig

Ashley Craig is the delegate and community outreach specialist for the Library of Virginia, where she coordinates the Library’s genealogy workshops series, genealogical programs, and community outreach. She previously was the site coordinator of Preservation Virginia’s John Marshall House. Ashley graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a bachelor’s degree in history with a concentration in early modern British history and colonial Virginia. She also received a master’s degree in history with a concentration in early and colonial Virginia, African and Indigenous slavery, and 19th and 20th-century race relations in Virginia. Ashley enjoyed welcoming people to Richmond for the NGS 2023 Family History Conference and research at the Library.

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 the president and delegate. 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.

Kate Huffman

Kate Huffman, secretary, is the delegate and public relations director for the Missouri State Genealogical Association. She is active in the genealogy community and serves in multiple roles in her DAR chapter. She holds a degree in anthropology with minors in art history & archaeology, religious studies, and a certificate in multicultural studies from the University of Missouri. Kate earned the Boston University Certificate in Genealogical Research and owns and operates Generations Gathered. She is also a Certified Interpretive Guide from the National Association for Interpretation and volunteers as a historical reenactor for local events in her free time.

Kathleen Kaldis

Kathleen Kaldis is a professional forensic genealogist, teacher, and speaker. She works as The Ancestor Finder and is a contracting researcher with KLM Research Services of Dallas, Texas. Kathleen was previously at the New England Historic Genealogical Society and the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants. She earned the Boston University Certificate in Genealogical Research, has completed many advanced-level genealogical institutes, and is an alumna of the ProGen Study Groups. She has served in leadership positions in various societies including the Cape Cod Genealogical Society and Central Massachusetts Genealogical Society. Kathleen is also a member of NGS, the DAR, and the delegate for the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists.

Cheri Hudson Passey

Cheri Hudson Passey, vice president of society and organization management on the NGS Board of Directors, is a professional genealogist, instructor, writer, speaker, and the owner of Carolina Girl Genealogy, LLC. She hosts the GenFriends genealogy chat show 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. Cheri is treasurer of GeneaBloggersTRIBE and served as secretary for the Federation of Genealogical Societies before the merger with NGS.

Charity Rouse

Charity Rouse, MLS, is the delegate and director of local history for the Spartanburg County Public Libraries in South Carolina. She works with a growing archival collection in the Kennedy Room of Local History & Genealogy and the object collection from a local museum, assisting researchers from around twenty-six states each year. Prior, Charity was on the genealogy and local history staff at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library in Kansas. She earned her Master of Library Science from Emporia State University and has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music. She is a member of the Pinckney District Chapter of the South Carolina Genealogical Society. Charity enjoys diving into her family’s history and teaching genealogy skills through in-person and virtual library programs. She is interested in strengthening the role of genealogy librarians in NGS.

Kate Townsend

Kate Townsend

Kate Townsend, immediate past 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 earned the Boston University Certificate in Genealogical Research and is enrolled in ProGen 58. She currently serves as the delegate and co-program chair of the North Hills Genealogists. She is a member of APG and NGS.

Amy Beth Urman

Amy Beth Urman is a private investigator, professional genealogist, speaker, and the owner of Nosy Wilma LLC. Her interest in investigation and genealogy began with a deep-seated curiosity about history and lineage. As a co-founder and past president of the Pima County Genealogy Society, she helped nurture a small genealogy club into a larger nonprofit society where she now serves as the delegate. Amy volunteers on the Arizona DAR State Lineage Committee and previously served in logistics for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. She has completed the NGS American Studies Basic Course, is an alumnus of ProGen28, and earned the Boston University Certificate in Genealogical Research. She is a member of NGS, APG, DAR, ISGS, Arizona Association of Licensed Private Investigators, Arizona Genealogical Advisory Board, and Chicago Genealogical Society.

Eric Vaughn

Eric Vaughn started his genealogical journey nearly twenty-five years ago wanting to know more about his mother’s parents and what brought them to Fulton, New York, from Eastern Europe. This project turned into a passion that he continues to contribute to every day. He serves as the delegate, president, and social media chair of the Rochester Genealogical Society (RGS). He co-founded the introduction to genealogical research classes that RGS launched in 2022 and coordinated the technology interest group. Eric enjoys helping others with their genealogy research and he conducts talks and workshops. Eric works full-time as a career coach with graduate students and postdocs at the University of Rochester.

Evan Wilson

Evan Wilson is a professional genealogist specializing in Southern research and the intersection of genealogy and history. He is a researcher for AncestryProGenealogists and was previously a scholar of medieval English and Latin literature. He fell in love with genealogy as a child in Birmingham, Alabama, but his education and life path took him to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he is based today. Evan serves as delegate and recording secretary for the California Genealogical Society (CGS). A believer in the value of in-person experiences, he is helping restart CGS research trips to Salt Lake City and organizing a series of informal social events in the CGS library that he hopes may serve as a model for other societies. Evan is a member of APG, NGS, AAHGS, and many state societies.