Presenting Our
SCGS Board of Directors 

Board Member

CBS's Roots sparked this New Orleans native's passion for genealogy. Charlotte graduated from UCLA in 1998 with a BA in Communication Studies. After a 31-year career at Pacific Bell, she retired in 2001. As Telephone Pioneers of America member, she chaired the popular Black History Month Sale-A-Bration for over 10 years. Charlotte was First Vice President fof the California African American Genealogical Society.

 

As the inaugural president of the Atwater Village Historical Society, she worked with then-City Councilperson, Eric Garcetti, to organize fundraising to begin the society.  She teaches Source Documentation 101 for Family Tree University. Charlotte is a guest genealogy lecturer for UCLA's Osher Lifelong Learning Program. A member of SCGS since 1999, Charlotte is chairperson for the education committee and organizes programs like Lunch and Learn and Genealogy Garage with the LA Public Library. She also organizes the SCGS Speakers Bureau. A favorite genealogy activity is organizing reunions for both sides of her family. 

Board Member

At age 12, Mark  became interested in genealogy. That’s when he read a family tree by a distant relative that included a letter in which an ancestor described his adventures fighting for the Union in the Civil War. Musically inclined Mark earned a BA in production and education from the Berklee College of Music in Boston and a Master’s in music technology from Boston University. A member of Board of Governors for the Recording Academy (they award the Grammys), Mark works in television production, is a busy voice actor, OSHA safety trainer, and CPR instructor.

 

After university, Mark pursued genealogy further when he found links to a Mayflower passenger and a Revolutionary War Patriot. He joined the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) and the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. He's also a ProGen 37 grad, and member of the British Isles Family History Society-USA, the New England Historic Genealogical Society, APGEN and the NGS. When not researching dead people, Mark trains on the topic of how to keep people alive.

Board Member

 

Born and raised in Washington D.C. to parents from the Carolinas, Adrian graduated from James Madison University, Virginia, with a BS in Anthropology. He received his MBA with a specialization in accounting and finance from the University of La Verne, California. Adrian is a risk compliance auditor for a company that helps financial institutions leverage remote deposit capture (RDC) and mobile money technologies.

 

In 2012, when the itch finally could not be ignored, Adrian began his genealogical journey. He has gone from just a group of names to discover significant dates and places, along with family and local histories. Through DNA, Adrian has found new relatives. He is a member of the National Genealogical Society (NGS) and several genealogical societies in Southern California, and North Carolina. Adrian is the producer and sometime-host for SCGS's popular webinar series, which is presented on the third Wednesdays of each month and some Saturdays. Speakers present diverse topics related to research methods and new discoveries in DNA. 

Board Member

A resident of Anaheim, Lyn has a lifelong interest in genealogy: she writes two columns on her family's ongoing history, "Life After Mother" and "My Recycled Life." She started doing genealogy research because her mother began a family tree, then gave it up, and Lyn took over. Through the years, her interest in genealogy has developed as she has learned about pedigree and family group charts, color coding, and the importance of obtaining vital statistics. Organizing genealogy is an ongoing project--from documenting and preserving, to dealing with side issues and the occasional uncooperative relative.

 

Lyn has been a freelance journalist since the 1980s. Her byline has appeared in publications such as the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register, the Los Angeles Weekly, the Long Beach Press Telegram, and the Los Angeles Reader, among others. She writes a blog that can be found at lynjensen.blogspot.com. Lyn earned a BA in Theater Arts from UCLA and has taken post-graduate-level education courses at Chapman University in the City of Orange.

 

A Southern California transplant from the Midwest, Rocco sought to stay connected with his family by building his first family tree in 1999 with a free 90-day subscription to the still-emerging Ancestry.com. In those few months, he caught the genealogy bug when he discovered that some of his Ohio ancestors were pioneers in the Northwest Territory before statehood. More than two decades later, Rocco expanded his and many other trees and served as a researcher and volunteer search angel for adoptees, orphans, and children seeking information about their biological families.

 

In 2019, he completed Boston University's Certificate in Genealogical Research program. Besides SCGS, Rocco is a member of the NGS, the Ohio Genealogical Society, and the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society. He’s interested in exploring Italian, Lebanese, and Midwestern /Mid-Atlantic U.S. research, and he currently serves as SCGS’s Italian Interest Group facilitator. When he’s not scouring historical documents, databases, or DNA matches, Rocco operates a talent agency for producers, cinematographers, designers, and editors in the film and television industry.

Curiosity about Linda's father's side of the family piqued her interest in genealogy in 1983, and she has been an avid researcher ever since. A graduate of Burbank High School (go Bulldogs!), Linda writes a blog in which she keeps BHS alumni updated with news about former Bulldogs, teachers, and staff. Famous BHS grads include filmmaker Tim Burton, performer Debbie Reynolds, and actresses Kim Fields and Blake Lively.

 

Linda is also a military researcher, and a historian and biographer for Burbank and Glendale's war dead. In 2011, Linda was named the "Patriot of the Year" by the Glendale Chamber of Commerce. Currently, she is a member of the San Fernando Valley Chapter, National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution and a Find-A Grave Photo Volunteer and a Vietnam Traveling Wall Docent.

 

Linda has been a SCGS Librarian and is currently a fill-in Librarian and the SCGS Historian and on the SCGS board. She has also volunteered at Jamboree in the Tech Zone. She currently serves as the Board Representative to the SCGS Library Operations committee.

An eighth-generation Ohioan, John V. Richardson was born in Columbus and is a UCLA Professor Emeritus of Information Studies where he has taught "Genealogical Information Resources" for graduate students training to become archivists and librarians. Currently, he's the FamilyTreeDNA volunteer administrator for the Richardson Project.

 

John's Die Weber Familie (ITA Press, 2020) about the Weber family who left Germany in the early 19th century won the Ohio Genealogical Society's 2021 Harrison Prize. He is a member of The General Society of Colonial Wars of the State of California, Sons of the American Revolution, and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War plus many other genealogical societies.

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In his spare time, John enjoys combining travel with family history research. He also earned a certificate in field ecology from the University of California, Riverside, to learn more about desert biology, botany, geology, and natural history.

Cathy has been a member of SCGS since 2010. She is a retired graphic designer who worked for Kaiser Permanente Southern California Regional Offices in Pasadena, doing desktop publishing and web support for 34 years. She has a BA in Design from California State University, Los Angeles.

 

Cathy's family research is focused in New Mexico going back to the 17th century and in Zacatecas, Mexico, also going to back tp the 17th century. A dedicated historian, Cathy serves on the Board of Directors for Genealogical Society of Hispanic America (GSHA-SC) and is also a member of the New Mexico Genealogical Society. She also lectures on her paternal Romero family of Southern New Mexico, which has deep and fascinating roots in the region. Cathy's maternal line is from Zacatecas, Mexico. Her mother was raised in Southern California and worked in aircraft maintenance and then became a nurse's aid while raising seven children. Cathy and her family are longtime residents of Rosemead, California.

Board Member

 

A first-generation Southern Californian, Lisa grew up in Covina and is a graduate of Cal Poly, Pomona. A longtime writer and editor, she writes for home, garden, and design websites and has been on the staffs of a newspaper, magazines, KCET, and written for the Los Angeles Times, Emmy Magazine, Westways, and the websites About.com and TheSpruce.com. She earned a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University in 2019 and is a 2021 graduate of NGS's ProGen 51. Currently, she's in the second year of the DNA Study Group with Diahan Southard. Lisa is also a member of NGS and the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG).

 

An avid researcher and history buff, her book, Lost Amusement Parks of Southern California: The Postwar Years, was released in 2021. Lisa uses DNA and documentary evidence to research the dozen family trees she manages. While her mother's family were more recent emigrants from Western and Eastern Europe, her paternal American roots are deep and can be traced to early New York. She enjoys gardening and spending time with her family and her dogs.

Board Member

 

Lynde Su Young was born in South Dakota and later raised in Portland, Oregon, before moving to La Crescenta, California, in 1975. Her career as a hair stylist and business owner for over 50 years taught her problem solving, organizing skills, understanding the power of visualization, and learning through listening to people and their stories. Married to a motion picture technician who is also an avid pilot, they have three children, three grandchildren, and five great grandchildren.

 

In 2016, Lyn caught the genealogy bug when she discovered Ancestry DNA matches that were previously unknown to her. Since her retirement she has built her family tree and matched cousins by both DNA and paper trails.

 

At SCGS she is a member of the DNA and German Interest Groups and volunteers at the SCGS Library, working as a Librarian Volunteer, helping visitors with their questions and research. She is a member of the Library Operations Committee; and she looks forward to helping with the development and planning for the future of SCGS.

Douglas is a congressionally recognized National Historian. As owner of the Paragon Agency, he has published 150 books about America's history. Of those, he wrote one-third; 90% are first- person accounts in the form of letters, journals, diaries, memoirs and interviews. Paragon's books reach back to colonial days. Before publishing, Douglas was a teacher for 20 years, from 4th grade through college. During that time, he ran an industrial training center for a billion-dollar computer company in Tustin. He taught classes in two dozen states, Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Philippines, and Europe.

 

Douglas also wrote a book on the genealogy of America and published the third volume of Marie Northrop's series on Spanish & Mexican Families of Early California for SCGS in 2004. He taught at the Orange Pioneer Family Search Center and at the SCGS Library. He uses genealogical information in the research for the people in his books. Douglas has an AA in Technology and a BA In Education. In 2016, he was selected for the National DAR Historian Award.