Short biographies, in alphabetical order.
Char McCargo Bah
Char McCargo Bah is the CEO/Owner of FindingThingsforU, LLC. She has been a genealogist since 1981; appearing in numerous television interviews and documentaries. She is on contract with the City of Alexandria Descendants’ Lynching Project, the Virginia Theological Seminary Descendants’ Reparation Project, the Sharon Chapel Church Descendants’ Recognition Project and several other genealogically related projects. Char has received numerous awards including the 2020 Virginia Humanity Scholar and 2019 Who Who’s in America. She is the author of two books, an anthology and a Virginia Encyclopedia’s article. Her current book is Alexandria’s Freedmen’s Cemetery: A Legacy of Freedom. She is a freelance writer on local history for the Alexandria Times newspaper. In addition, she is a member of numerous societies including historical societies, genealogical societies, writers’ organizations and authors’ guilds. She is a member of the Virginia Genealogical Society.
Amy Bertsch
Amy Bertsch is a historian and genealogist specializing in African American and Virginia history. Amy has taught historical archaeology in the Public History and Historic Preservation certificate program at Northern Virginia Community College, and she previously worked in public history at the Office of Historic Alexandria which operates the City of Alexandria’s museums, historic sites, archives and archaeology program. She has an M.A. in history from Sam Houston State University and her published work includes the “Lost Potters of Loudoun County, Virginia: The Gardner-Duncan Family” in the Journal of Early Southern Decorative Arts.
Jim Bish
James “Jim” Bish is the author of I Can’t Tell a Lie: Parson Weems and the Truth about George Washington’s Cherry Tree, Prayer at Valley Forge, and Other Anecdotes. He grew to adulthood on a cattle and horse ranch in Nebraska where at an early age he was fascinated with stories from his grandmother about his ancestors who homesteaded the area in the 1870s. His genealogy and history pursuits identified ancestors who earlier lived in nine of the thirteen colonies with at least fifteen who served in the Revolutionary War. Those historical quests led to a career in education and history. After graduate school, Bish moved to Virginia, and there, spent almost forty years researching and teaching local, regional, and Virginia state history, where he encountered and examined many of the colonial Virginia families which became the foundation for this work.
In 1989 Bish helped to organize the Prince William County, Virginia Historical Society, known as Historic Prince William, where he served as the organization’s first president. He continues to serve on the Board of Directors of Historic Prince William. Jim later served Prince William County as member of the Prince William County Historical Commission. He currently operates History Happened Here Tours and also volunteers with the National Museum of Americans in Wartime Experiences’ Voices of Freedom Project and the Museum of Culpeper County, Virginia where he also serves upon their Board of Directors.
Katie Derby
Katie teaches for BYU-Idaho’s Genealogy Research program, specializing in US South and research methodology. She serves as a Governor-at-Large on the board of the Virginia Genealogy Society.
Vic Dunn, CG®
Victor S. “Vic” Dunn, CG®, is a full-time professional researcher who specializes in Virginia research, with an emphasis on brick-wall problem resolution and lineage society applications. He serves as the coordinator of the Virginia research track for the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research. A lecturer at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and other national platforms, he is a frequent contributor to major genealogical publications including feature articles in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, The Genealogist, BCG OnBoard, and Magazine of Virginia Genealogy. In 2014 he received the Mosher Award for Colonial Virginia Research and was named as the official genealogist of the Order of First Families of Virginia. He is a member of the Jamestowne Society and the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. He is a past trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, past treasurer of the National Genealogical Society and past governor of the Virginia Genealogical Society.
Kelley Ewing
Kelley Ewing has worked with the Virginia Newspaper Program (VNP) at the Library of Virginia for over 25 years. Since its creation in 1993 as part of the NEH initiative the United States Newspaper Program, the VNP has worked to locate, inventory, catalog, microfilm, conserve and digitize newspapers published throughout the commonwealth. Along with cataloging the newspaper collections of the largest repositories in the state, Kelley and her colleagues traveled to every city and county in Virginia, visiting libraries, colleges and universities, museums, historical societies, and publishing offices in the pursuit of previously undiscovered newspapers. Since 2008, Kelley has managed Virginia Chronicle, the Library of Virginia’s digital newspaper repository. She holds an MA in History from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Roccie None Hill, MA – Co-Owner of Past & Present Pathways
Past & Present Pathways, www.pastpresentpathways.com, has been doing genealogy research since 1990, and professionally since 2009. She specializes in Native American research, as well as Southwestern US genealogy including tribal and borderlands.
Roccie has written various articles for www.genealogists.com and the Tennessee Genealogical Society and has lectured on military records and land records across the US. She is a member of the DAR, the National Society Colonial Dames of the XVII Century, APG Second Life, Tennessee Genealogical Society, Genealogical Society of Hispanic America, National Genealogical Society, Virginia Genealogical Society, NEHGS/American Ancestors, Melungeon Heritage Association, Palm Springs Genealogical Society, and the New Mexico Genealogical Society. She is a former cataloguing volunteer at the Research Library of the Smithsonian Affiliate, the Museum of the West in Scottsdale. She is currently a paleography volunteer for the Mellon Foundation-funded project, Native Bound Unbound, Archive of Indigenous Americans Enslaved.
Tim Kilby
Timothy Kilby earned degrees from Virginia Tech and Rochester Institute of Technology and had careers in education, art, and information technology before retiring in 2014. He grew up in the village of Sperryville, Rappahannock County, Virginia, not far from the homesteads of his Kilby forefathers, the subjects of decades of his genealogical research. In recent years he has devoted countless hours researching the people and events recounted in Gourdvine Black and White. Tim now lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, Lois, and step-grandson, Caiman. He is active in the U.S. national organization, Coming to the Table, which works to heal from slavery’s legacy of deep-rooted racism. One hundred percent of proceeds from the sale of Gourdvine Black and White are donated to the Kilby Family Endowed Scholarship Fund to benefit descendants of the enslaved.
Rebecca Whitman Koford
Rebecca Whitman Koford holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist® and as a Certified Genealogical Lecturer®. She focuses on research in Maryland, Upstate New York, Virginia, the District of Columbia, colonial records, military records from the Revolution through the Civil War, federal records at the National Archives (D.C.), and land records of all types. She is co-author of the NGS Research in the States series book on Maryland. Rebecca is a graduate and former mentor of the ProGen Study Group and served as its Administrator from 2015–2020. She speaks at national conferences and regularly teaches at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), the Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research (IGHR). She served as Executive Director of the Board for Certification of Genealogists® from 2018–2024. In 2021, she was named as Director of the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed) in Washington, D.C. Rebecca was elected as the Vice-President of the National Genealogical Society in October 2024.
Barbara Vines Little
Barbara Vines Little, CG®, FNGS, FUGA, FVGS, a professional genealogist, has lectured over the past thirty-plus years at conferences in thirty-two states on research methodology, Virginia and West Virginia resources and writing and publishing. Editor of the quarterly Magazine of Virginia Genealogy since 1996 and winner of the NGS Quarterly Award of excellence in 2001 and 2022, she has written articles for a number of publications including the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, the National Genealogical Society Newsletter, and the Board for Certification of Genealogists’ newsletter, OnBoard. The current editor of National Genealogical Society’s Research in the States series, she is the author of the West Virginia volume and has published three volumes of Virginia court records and edited others for publication. She served as coordinator and instructor for VIGR (Virginia Institute of Genealogical Research) Track II, 1996–2004 and as the coordinator and instructor of the Virginia track for Samford University’s Institute for Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) from 2007–2012 and the 2017, 2020, and 2023 Virginia track at SLIG (Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy). A member of the board of the Library of Virginia and a former board member of the Orange County Historical Society, she is a former board member and president of both the National Genealogical Society and the Virginia Genealogical Society.
Kelly L. McMahon, CG®
Kelly L. McMahon is a Norfolk, Virginia, native and a graduate of the College of William and Mary. Her interest in genealogy began at a young age, when she began researching her family lines from the Tidewater region of Virginia. Her professional genealogy research focuses on Colonial Virginia records – using creative methods to solve difficult genealogical problems that arise from burned counties and for marginalized populations in Colonial Virginia. Other research interests include land records and tax list research.
Kelly is a Board-Certified Genealogist, CG®, and she lives in the Tidewater area of Virginia, where she works full-time for Ancestry.com ProGenealogists as their Colonial Virginia Genealogist.
Kelly’s 9th great grandfather, James Pyland, was a House of Burgesses Representative for Isle of Wight County, Virginia, in the 1650s, and her 5th great grandmother, Sylvia Price Bell, donated 11 pounds of bacon to the Continental Army during the American Revolution and is a proven female patriot for the Daughters of the American Revolution. Kelly is a proud 14th generation (Tidewater) Virginian, and she is thrilled to discuss Virginia genealogy with you.
Dr. Shelley Viola Murphy
Dr. Shelley Viola Murphy has been an avid genealogist for over 30 years. Shelley, also known as the “familytreegirl,” presents genealogy workshops at local, state, and national genealogy conferences. She holds membership in the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, the National Genealogical Society, the Association of Professional Genealogists, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and various local genealogy groups. Shelley is known for her inspiring and interactive “SO WHAT” methodology for genealogical research, along with interesting problem-solving methodology lectures. She is also a coordinator and instructor at the Midwest African American Genealogy Institute (MAAGI) and serves on the Boards of the Library of Virginia, the Virginia Genealogical Society, and the Albemarle, Charlottesville, and Fluvanna Historical Societies. Her tagline is “Know Your Roots They are Long and Strong.”
Diane L. Richard, MEng, MBA
Diane L. Richard, MEng & MBA, is a professional genealogist and founder of Mosaic Research and Project Management (MosaicRPM). With over 35 years of genealogy research experience, she has been working with clients professionally since 2004. Diane has written over 600 articles for Internet Genealogy and edited numerous publications, including the blog Upfront with NGS, and the North Carolina Genealogical Society journal.
As an international speaker, Diane has given hundreds of webinars and in-person programs on genealogy research strategies and record exploitation. She has appeared on Who Do You Think You Are? and published a book on African American research, “Tracing Your Ancestors — African American Research: A Practical Guide.” Diane’s special interests include researching formerly enslaved individuals, their descendants, and Free Persons of Color, as well as the often-overlooked lives of female ancestors. Tips, tricks, strategies & resources are also a focus.
Diane co-founded GenWebinars, offering live online genealogy webinars, and Tar Heel Discoveries, providing in-person research assistance. She serves as Vice President of NC Historical Records Online, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing public access to North Carolina historical records. Learn more about Diane’s services and expertise through the Genealogical Speakers Guild and the Association of Professional Genealogists.
Joseph Roby
Joseph Roby is a passionate genealogist and family historian. He is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG). He has served several roles on the boards of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of APG and the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania. Joseph is a member of the Black History Committee of the Friends of the Thomas Balch Library in Leesburg, Virginia, as well as a member of the Howe House Historians, part of the Friends of the Howe House in Montclair, New Jersey. Joseph specializes in Virginia, African American, and slavery-era research. His current research focuses on the people his Dulany ancestors enslaved at Oakley, a farm outside of Upperville, Fauquier County. Joseph lives in Stow, Massachusetts.
Judy G. Russell, JD, CG®, CGLSM, FUGA
The Legal Genealogist Judy G. Russell is a genealogist with a law degree. She writes, teaches and lectures on a wide variety of genealogical topics, providing expert guidance through the murky territory where law and family history intersect. A Colorado native with roots deep in the American south on her mother’s side and entirely in Germany on her father’s side, she holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a political science minor from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and a law degree from Rutgers School of Law-Newark. Before she retired, she worked as a newspaper reporter, trade association writer, legal investigator, defense attorney, federal prosecutor, law editor and, for more than 20 years, was an adjunct member of the faculty at Rutgers Law School.
An international lecturer, member of the faculty of numerous genealogical institutes, and recipient of the 2017 National Genealogical Society Quarterly Award of Excellence, she holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist® and Certified Genealogical Lecturer℠ from the Board for Certification of Genealogists®. Her award-winning blog appears at The Legal Genealogist website (https://www.legalgenealogist.com).
Craig R. Scott, MA, CG®, FUGA
Craig Roberts Scott, MA, CG®, FUGA, is the President and CEO of Heritage Books, Inc., a genealogical publishing firm with over 10,000 titles in print and the host of the YouTube channel @JustGenealogy. A professional genealogical and historical researcher for more than thirty-eight years, he specializes in records of the National Archives, especially those related to the military. He has coordinated the Military tracks at IGHR, SLIG, and GRIP in years past. He is currently the Coordinator of the SLIG Consultation Track, helping students solve their brick wall problems.
Paula Stuart-Warren, CG®, FMGS, FUGA
Paula is an internationally recognized genealogical educator, researcher, and consultant focusing on unusual resources, manuscripts, methodology, and analyzing records. She also specializes in railroad research, the WPA, and Native American records. She has done extensive research at libraries, courthouses, libraries, state archives, historical societies, and various locations of the U.S. National Archives. She is a coordinator and instructor for the GRIP Genealogy Institute, has presented courses for several other institutes and academies, and continues presenting virtual seminars and webinars across the U.S. and in Canada. She is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the Minnesota Genealogical Society, and the Association of Professional Genealogists.
She is descended from eight ancestral countries and has researched family connections across the U.S. and Canada, including her children’s connections to the Southeastern U.S. She currently has her own educational website and blog at http://genealogybypaula.com and is enthusiastic about sharing knowledge and continuing education.
Mary O’Brien Vidlak, CG®
Mary was born and raised in New York. A move to Virginia in 2006 changed her life. What had been a general interest in family history turned into a passion when she found herself living near the homes of generations of her maternal ancestors. In 2016 she earned the designation of Certified Genealogist® for a portfolio of work which included a three-generation study of the Winn family of Fluvanna County. Mary is the former president of the Virginia Genealogical Society and continues to serve the society as treasurer. She is also a trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists.
Paula Williams
Paula is a professional genealogist who has been researching for more than two decades in primarily southern US states and has been using DNA to solve problems for more than a decade. She has studied at IGHR, SLIG, GRIP, and the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed). In addition, she’s a board member of the Virginia Genealogical Society and of the Genealogical Research Institute of Virginia (GRIVA) and is the facilitator for the latter’s DNA Special Interest Group. She has taught at the IGHR and GRIP institutes and has lectured for Legacy Family Tree Webinars, the Southern California Genealogical Society’s Genealogy Jamboree and for the National Genealogical Society conference, among other organizations. She also serves as the Virtual Tech Coordinator for the GRIP Genealogy Institute.
Sam Williams, MDiv
Sam Williams is a professional genealogist focusing on Central Virginia, genetic genealogy, and Greek American research. His degrees are in International Affairs, Spanish, and Orthodox theology.
Megan Clark Young
Megan Clark Young owns MACY’s Genealogical Research, LLC and has twenty years of genealogy experience. Megan enjoys working with clients, coaching, blogging, and lecturing. She serves on the Board of the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, where she evaluates genealogical proof and citations for their lineage society and quarterly publication.