At its semi-annual meeting held on 13 October 2024, the Trustees of the Board for Certification of Genealogists® (BCG) elected officers for the coming year.
They are:
• President: David S. Ouimette, CG®, CGL℠
• Vice President: Angela Packer McGhie, CG®, FUGA
• Secretary: Gary Ball-Kilbourne, PhD, CG®
• Treasurer: Shannon Green, CG®, CGG℠, CGL℠
• Member at Large: Karen Stanbary, MA, LCSW, CG®, CGG℠
BCG also welcomes three returning and two new trustees.
Returning trustees:
Matthew Blaine Berry, CG® of California
Angela Packer McGhie, CG®, FUGA of Maryland
Mary Kircher Roddy, CG® of Washington State
Newly Elected Trustees are:
Mark Wentling, CG®, of Massachusetts, believes strongly in promoting awareness of BCG’s standards as attainable measures of excellence and of its credentials for fostering public confidence in our work. He is a full-time forensic genealogist specializing in heir research, military repatriation, and New England and New York genealogy. He is an adjunct professor of genealogy at the University of New Haven, and a past mentor for ProGen Study Group. His work is published in The NEHG Register and Mayflower Descendant. He holds a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University, a master of library science degree from the University of Maryland at College Park, and a BA in sociology. He is an APG board member, a past vice president of its Forensic SIG and New England Chapter, and a past board member of AGES. He co-authored BCG’s white paper on credentials and standards in forensic genetic genealogy in 2024.
Jennifer Zinck, CG®, of Connecticut, is passionate about ensuring that genealogists have access to historical records and serves as BCG’s representative to the Records Preservation & Access Coalition (RPAC). She is a dedicated genealogical advocate currently working to resolve critical access issues related to the Social Security Death Master File and US Citizenship and Immigration Services records that are overdue for transfer to NARA. In her home state of Connecticut, Jennifer serves as the president of the Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council and as a member of the board of governors of the Connecticut Society of Genealogists. Jennifer builds bridges for genealogists through outreach to record custodians, educating them about the benefits of collaboration with genealogical researchers. She shares her love of family history through community programs at schools, libraries, and senior centers. Jennifer is inspired by the outdoors and treasures spending time with her family, especially her husband, children, and grandson.
All fifteen trustees are board-certified, and all serve without compensation. Five were elected this year by certified associates. The terms of office of the new trustees began at the end of the 13 October 2024 board meeting.
The words Certified Genealogist and letters CG are registered certification marks, and the designations Certified Genetic Genealogist or CGG, and Certified Genealogical Lecturer or CGL are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®, used under license by board certificants after periodic evaluation.
