The Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) congratulates one newly elected and four returning trustees for their election to terms beginning in October 2023.
The BCG board is composed of fifteen (15) trustees. All hold the Certified Genealogist® credential, and all serve without compensation. Every year, five trustees are elected by BCG associates to serve a three-year term. As the result of the 2023 election, four current trustees will return and one new trustee will join the BCG board. Their terms of office will begin after the end of the annual board meeting on 21 October 2023.
Returning Trustees
Gary Ball-Kilbourne, PhD, CG®, of North Dakota. Board-certified in 2019, currently serves as the Board’s secretary and as editor of OnBoard. An experienced researcher, educator, writer, and editor, he teaches in the Boston University genealogy program and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. Gary has published in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and other genealogical journals and magazines. He volunteers as a director and the secretary of the Minnesota Genealogical Society, and as wordsmith on the SLIG Committee. Gary holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in religion from Vanderbilt University. In his previous career, he was a pastor and a publishing executive. His personal research interests include the Northern Plains, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and colonial Connecticut and New Sweden. He enjoys spending time with his wife, two grown sons, several grandchildren, and a feisty chihuahua.
Shannon Green, CG®, Colorado, is finishing her first term as a trustee for BCG. Board-certified since 2017, she recently successfully renewed her credential. She co-chairs the BCG conference committee and has served in various roles during her time as a trustee. Shannon is also a trustee for the BCG Education Fund and serves as treasurer. Shannon is a genealogy researcher, writer, and educator. Her research interests are focused on women’s lives, which too often are not well documented. She has published articles in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ), the NYG&B Record, the NEHGS Register, NGS Magazine, and other publications. Shannon has been a coordinator and mentor for ProGen Study Groups and twice mentored GenProof Study Groups. She was a facilitator and instructor in Boston University’s Genealogical Research Program for six years. Shannon has an undergraduate degree from Duke University and an MBA from Vanderbilt University. She lives in the Denver area with her husband and three children.
Faye Jenkins Stallings, CG®, is an avid genealogist conducting family history research in the south for more than 30 years. Faye was elected President of the Board for Certification of Genealogists in October 2022, following her service as BCG Vice President in 2021-2022. She formerly served as the President of the Federation of Genealogical Societies and as a member of the Board of Directors for the National Genealogical Society following the merger of NGS and FGS in 2020. She also serves as a Board member for her local society in Montgomery County, Texas, and is the Director of the FamilySearch Center in Conroe, Texas. She is a professional genealogist at Southern Hearts Genealogy and received her Certified Genealogist® credential in 2018. In her prior professional career, she was a Certified Public Accountant and held various corporate positions with a Fortune 100 company, including Assistant Corporate Controller, subsidiary Controller and Chief Financial Officer, General Auditor and Chief Ethics Officer.
Karen Stanbary, MA, LCSW, CG®, Chicago, Board-certified since 2016, she has served as a Trustee for the past six years. As chair of BCG’s DNA Committee, she led the work to draft the DNA-related Standards. She currently serves on the CGG Implementation Committee. Karen coordinates DNA courses and is a frequent lecturer at genealogical institutes. She holds a MA from the University of Chicago and has completed advanced graduate study in Mexico. As a LCSW, Karen aids genealogists who seek advice on the management of surprises in DNA test results. Her genealogical practice specializes in midwestern U.S., Chicago, and Mexican research as well as complex problem-solving, unknown parentage, and DNA analysis. Karen has published two complex DNA case studies in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly (June 2016 and June 2023). She was honored with the NGSQ Award for Excellence for the 2016 article. She published “Drowning in DNA? The Genealogical Proof Standard Tosses a Lifeline” in Debbie Parker Wayne’s Advanced Genetic Genealogy: Techniques and Case Studies.
Newly Elected Trustee
Catherine Becker Wiest Desmarais, CG®, is a full-time professional genealogist, author, and educator. She established Stone House Historical Research, LLC in 2007 and has held the Certified Genealogist® credential since 2011. Her firm completes more than 6,000 hours of forensic genealogy research annually and has assisted the Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency to locate families for more than one thousand missing service members. Catherine currently serves BCG as a member of their standing and ad hoc DNA committees and as an advisor for the Investigative Genetic Genealogy Accreditation Board. She is a former vice-president of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) and serves on the program committee of the APG Forensic Genealogy Special Interest Group. She holds a master’s degree in education from the University of Vermont and teaches at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh. Her research and writing are published in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Crossroads, and the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly.
The five newly-elected trustees join ten trustees who were not up for re-election this year: Matthew Blaine Berry, LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, Rebecca Hockaday, Angela Packer McGhie, David S. Ouimette, Darcie Hind Posz, Mary Kircher Roddy, Richard G. Sayre, Barbara Vines Little, and Scott Wilds.
The words Certified Genealogist and letters CG are registered certification marks, and the designations CGL and Certified Genealogical Lecturer are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®, used under license by board certificants after periodic evaluation.
