Staff

Mailing Address
New England Historic Genealogical Society
101 Newbury Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02116-3007

Telephone
Toll Free: 1-888-296-3447
Local: 617-536-5740
Fax: 617-536-7307

Group photo from staff outing at Crane Estate, Ipswich

Executive Office

D. Brenton Simons

President and CEO

D. Brenton Simons is President & CEO of American Ancestors and New England Historic Genealogical Society, Vice Chair of the Plymouth 400th Anniversary State Commission, and Secretary of the Board of Directors of The New England Quarterly.

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Ryan J. Woods

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Ryan J. Woods is Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of American Ancestors and New England Historic Genealogical Society and is Lieutenant Governor of the Society of Colonial Wars in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

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Olivia Terrell

Executive Assistant

Olivia Terrell has worked in the financial services industry, community based organizations, and health care management.

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Advancement

Meghan E. Hallock

Vice President for Advancement

Meghan Hallock joined NEHGS in May 2021 and brings more than 20 years of experience to lead the fundraising team at NEHGS.

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Beth A. Brown

Assistant Vice President for Advancement

A member of the fundraising team at NEHGS since 2015, Beth travels the country identifying new volunteer leadership, raising funds from individuals, corporations, and foundations to support all areas of American Ancestors/NEHGS.

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Kaitlin Hurley

Advancement Services Specialist

Kaitlin graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and History, and from the Commonwealth Honors College Scholar Program with a concentration in Multidisciplinary Honors.

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Stacie Madden

Director of Advancement

Stacie Madden has over 20 years’ experience in development, marketing, communications, sales, community relations, and volunteer management.

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Ted MacMahon

Interim Vice President for Advancement

Ted brings two decades of fundraising and capital campaign experience to NEHGS. He was previously Director of Institutional Advancement at The Fenn School and Vice President for Development at The Home for Little Wanderers in Boston.

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Steven L. Solomon

Assistant Vice President for Advancement

Steve’s development career in Boston has focused primarily in the cultural, conservation, and academic communities.

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Jennifer Tappero

Advancement Coordinator

Jennifer graduated magna cum laude from Simmons University in 2020. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and Arts Administration with a concentration in Digital Communications.

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Books & Journals

Sharon Buzzell Inglis

Publishing Director

In nearly 30 years in the educational publishing industry, Sharon developed and directed the production of French, Spanish, Italian, German, social studies, science, and math textbook programs for secondary school and higher education.

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Christopher C. Child

Senior Genealogist of the Newbury Street Press and Editor of Mayflower Descendant

Chris Child has worked for various departments at NEHGS since 1997 and became a full-time employee in July 2003. He has been a member of NEHGS since the age of eleven.

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Susan Donnelly

Genealogist of the Newbury Street Press

Susan is a native New Englander and second generation American from a large extended family of artists. She spent two years with the Research Services team, working on several large projects, before joining Newbury Street Press.

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Cécile Engeln

Assistant Publishing Director

Cécile joined NEHGS with nearly ten years of editorial and project management experience in academic publishing.

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Henry B. Hoff, CG, FASG

Editor of the Register

Henry has been the editor of The New England Historical and Genealogical Register since 2001. Previously he was trustee editor of The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record.

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Kyle Hurst

Senior Genealogist of the Newbury Street Press

Kyle holds a B.A. in both History and Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and a Master’s certificate in Museum Studies from Tufts University.

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Ellen Maxwell

Publications Design Manager

Ellen joined the NEHGS staff with over 20 years of publishing experience, working most of this time as a design and production manager.

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Elizabeth Peay

Researcher

Areas of expertise: Revolutionary War, Native American, and colonial New England research.

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Eileen Curley Pironti

Genealogist of the Newbury Street Press

Eileen graduated with a B.A. from Saint Anselm College, and received an M.S. from American University.

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Meaghan E.H. Siekman, Ph.D.

Genealogist of the Newbury Street Press

Meaghan holds a PhD in history from Arizona State University where her focus was public history and American Indian history.

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Scott C. Steward

Editor-in-Chief

Scott C. Steward has been NEHGS’ Editor-in-Chief since 2013.

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Business Development

Donald C. Reagan

Vice President for Business Development and Revenue Growth

In Don’s role, as Director of Business Development, he is responsible for enhancing revenue-generating activities, driving scalable financial growth, and expanding membership for the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

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Digital Strategy & Communications

For questions about database search and website functionality, please contact webmaster@nehgs.org.

Claire Vail

Vice President for Digital Strategy and Communications

Claire has twenty years of experience as a digital marketing and content strategist for high-profile institutions in higher education, publishing, and media.

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Valerie Beaudrault

Assistant Editor

Originally from New Hampshire, Valerie joined the visitor services staff in 2002.

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Lynn Betlock

Managing Editor

Lynn has been the editor of American Ancestors since 2003, and she has written numerous articles for the publication.

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Thomas Grebenchick

Web Content Coordinator

Thomas is responsible for managing and updating existing web content, creating new content, and assisting in digital communications and strategy.

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Andy Hanson-Dvoracek

Systems Architect

Andy is originally from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Having studied guitar and musicology in Boston and Iowa, he has presented research on video game music and minimalist music.

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Amy Joyce

Graphic Designer

Amy joined the American Ancestors / NEHGS team in 2018. She has 19 years of design experience, which includes past work with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, the Boston Herald, and Pearson Education.

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Carolyn Sheppard Oakley

Editor and Creative Director

In addition to designing American Ancestors magazine, Carolyn also designs products and marketing materials for NEHGS departments.

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Hailey Philbin

Marketing and Communications Specialist

Originally an intern at NEHGS, Hailey now works part time on a variety of communication projects.

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Jean Powers

Senior Editor

As Senior Editor for American Ancestors magazine and the Weekly Genealogist enewsletter, Jean writes and edits articles, strategizes content, and provides illustrations.

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Alicia Crane Williams, FASG

Genealogist

Alicia is the lead genealogist on the study project Early New England Families, 1641-1700.

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Digital Strategy & Communications—Databases

Scott Colby

Director of Database Search & Technology

Scott Colby joined the NEHGS Staff in July 2021. He oversees the database search and tree technology for AmericanAncestors.org.

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Rachel Adams

Database Services Volunteer Coordinator

Rachel coordinates the web teams volunteers in scanning and indexing material that goes on the database.

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Chloe Jones

Database Projects Coordinator

Areas of expertise: colonial New England, Native American studies, and archival collections

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Amanda Opalenik

Digitization Assistant

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Molly Rogers

Associate Director of Database Content

Molly works on our database collections, maintaining the accuracy of current databases and managing teams of volunteers to transcribe and add new collections.

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Education & Programming

Ginevra Morse

Vice President for Education and Programming

Ginevra Morse joined the NEHGS staff in 2010 as Publications Coordinator, transitioning to the Education team as Online Education Coordinator in 2013.

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Dustin Axe

Youth Genealogy Curriculum Coordinator

Dustin is a licensed teacher with more than 15 years of experience teaching a variety of subjects to students in informal educational settings.

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Cy Britt

Director of Heritage Tours

Cy joined the NEHGS staff in the fall of 2018 as the organization’s first Director of Heritage Tours.

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Tricia Labbe

Events Manager

A graduate of Clark University with an MA and a BA in History, Tricia comes to NEHGS with several years of customer service and administrative experience.

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Ann Lawthers

Genealogist

Areas of expertise: New England, New York, Mid-Atlantic states, the southern colonies, Ireland, and migration patterns.

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Courtney Reardon

Events Manager

A graduate of Dean College with a BA in dance, Courtney comes to American Ancestors/NEHGS with a wide range of experience in event planning and development.

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Margaret M. Talcott

Director of Literary Programs & Partnerships

Margaret joined American Ancestors and NEHGS in 2019 in support of our mission to educate, inspire, and connect.

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Finance & Operations

Bruce Bernier

Vice President and CFO

Bruce joined NEHGS in 2019 as Chief Financial Officer. In his role, he is responsible for the financial well-being of NEHGS and serves as a resource to the senior management team and employees of NEHGS.

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Emma Brightbill

Accounts Receivable Associate

Emma joined NEHGS in May 2014. She received a B.A. in Arts Administration and Art History from Simmons College, Boston.

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Michael Forbes

Accounting Manager

Michael joined the staff of New England Historic Genealogical Society in 2003. Michael worked for Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, in Boston for ten years before coming to NEHGS.

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Wes Matthews

Database Manager

Wes joined American Ancestors / NEHGS in 2018 as Database Manager. He has a strong technical background with experience in data management, HTML, CSS, JavaScript and SQL.

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Matt Ottinger

Director of Facilities

Matt Ottinger joined our staff in the fall of 2018 as Director of Facilities, a new position created to address our growing needs as we expand our headquarters.

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Nick Purinton

Accountant

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Steven Shilcusky

Director of Information Technology

Steven entered the computer field 20 years ago and has worked in the field of mortgage banking and desktop publishing in the printing industry.

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Human Resources

Michelle Major

Director of Human Resources

Michelle Major, a Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP), join the NEHGS / American Ancestors staff in January of 2007.

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Member Services & Book Sales

For questions about your American Ancestors/NEHGS membership, please contact membership@nehgs.org or call us at 888-296-3447 (choose option 1).

Kathleen Mackenzie

Manager of Member Services

Kathleen leads the Member Services team in growing the NEHGS constituency and oversees daily operations for membership communications, gift processing, and reporting.

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Shannon Westlund

Member Services Specialist

Shannon graduated from the University of Massachusetts in Boston in 2018 where she earned a BA in History and Anthropology.

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Kyle Lindsay

Member Services Specialist

Kyle earned his BA from Providence College in 2014, where he majored in History and American Studies.

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Rachel Carmela Farago

Member Services Associate

Rachel graduated from Boston University’s College of Arts and Sciences in 2019 with a degree in the History of Art & Architecture with a minor in Archaeology.

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Wren Rodziewicz

Member Services Associate

Wren is a graduate of Tufts University, with a Master’s Certificate in Museum Studies.

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Research & Library Services

Lindsay Fulton

Vice President for Research and Library Services

Area of Expertise: State and Federal Censuses, New England, Ireland, and New York research, with a focus on lineage society applications.

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Raymond Addison

Researcher

Areas of expertise: New England and Southern states, genealogical software, DNA testing, and lineage societies.

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Sally Benny

Curator of Digital Collections

Sally Benny manages the American Ancestors Digital Library & Archives website and is responsible for digitizing manuscripts and arranging and describing born-digital archives.

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Hallie Borstel

Genealogist

Areas of expertise: 19th-century America, Germany, New York, New York City, Norway, Italy, westward migration, immigration history, and descendancy research.

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Maureen Carey

Researcher

Areas of expertise: New England with a particular focus on Connecticut, Revolutionary War, Southern states, Ireland, and Italy.

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Peggy Sue Carpenter

Researcher

Areas of expertise: Midwestern States, German, old German Gothic script, England, French, and Latin.

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Rebecca Carpenter

Researcher

Areas of expertise: New England, New York, Puerto Rico

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Lesley Chidester

Researcher

Areas of expertise: New England, Midwestern states and lineage society research.

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Danielle Cournoyer

Researcher

Areas of Expertise: urban development and preservation, transit and westward migration in the United States, the lineage society application process and Mayflower descendant research.

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Sarah Dery

Manager of Research and Library Services

Sarah Dery is the Research & Library Manager at American Ancestors/NEHGS and has been with our Society for the last 4 years.

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Curt DiCamillo

Curator of Special Collections

Curt DiCamillo, who joined American Ancestors/NEHGS in February of 2016 as the organization’s first Curator of Special Collections, is an internationally recognized authority on British historic houses and the decorative arts.

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Sheilagh Doerfler

Genealogist

Areas of expertise: DNA, Adoption, New England, New Netherland, Ireland, Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, Norway, and Sweden.

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Katrina Fahy

Genealogist

Areas of expertise: Lineage Society Applications, Ireland, New York, Virginia, and the Midwest.

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Zachary Garceau

Researcher

Areas of expertise: Rhode Island, French-Canadian Genealogy and Sports History. He also enjoys working on heraldic and royal research.

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James Heffernan

Genealogist

Areas of Expertise: Central and Eastern European genealogy, with a particular focus on the former Polish territories of the Austrian, Russian, and German Empires.

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Helen Herzer

Volunteer Coordinator

Helen Herzer has been the Volunteer Coordinator since 2007, overseeing a program that matches volunteers with American Ancestors/NEHGS staff needs.

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Pam Guye Holland

Researcher

Areas of expertise: Irish immigration, Irish records, DNA, church records, German, New York (both city and state), and New England.

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David Allen Lambert

Chief Genealogist

Areas of expertise: New England and Atlantic Canadian records of the 17th through 21st century; American and international military records; DNA research; and Native American and African American genealogical research in New England.

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