January 26, 29, and 30, 2026
January 2026 Quarterly Virtual Business Meetings
Monday, January 26, 2026
11:00 a.m. EST- Development Committee
Participants: Development Committee Members; registration required
Development Committee Members: M. David Sherrill (Chair); Robb Aley Allan (Trustee); Susan Carlson (Trustee); Richard Batchelder (Councilor); Mark Ferguson (Trustee); Peter Brown (Councilor); Rebecca Madsen (Councilor); Rebecca Rogers (Councilor); Susan Van Allen (Councilor); Tawny Welch (Councilor); David M. Trebing (ex-officio); Dorothy Kauffman (CAO); Ted MacMahon (VP of Planning Giving); Ryan J. Woods (President & CEO)
12:00 p.m. EST- Finance Committee
Participants: Finance Committee Members; registration required
Finance Committee Members: John E. Corcoran (Treasurer & Committee Chair); Mark Thomas Cox IV (Trustee); Gerard A. Halpin, III (Trustee); Brenda L. Johnson (Trustee); Andrew P. Langlois (Trustee); Thomas B. Hagen (Trustee); Jo Anne Makely (Trustee); M. David Sherrill (Trustee); Jonathan B. Treat (Trustee); Brent J. Andersen (Councilor); Sumner E. Anderson (Councilor); Ken Armistead (Councilor); Marc E. Chardon (Councilor); Prudence S. Crozier (Councilor); Michael Dunn (Councilor); Cheryl L. Edwards (Councilor); Sarah Gunderson (Councilor); Beverly L. Hamilton (Trustee); Edmund D. Kellogg (Councilor); Alice B. Schroeder (Councilor); Roger T. Servison (Councilor); David N. Smith (Councilor); Thomas R. Wilcox, Jr. (Councilor); Frank C. Ripley (Honorary Trustee); David M. Trebing (ex-officio); Bruce Bernier (CFO); Ryan J. Woods (President & CEO)
1:00 p.m. EST- Audit Committee
Participants: Audit Committee Members; registration required
Audit Committee Members: Thomas R. Wilcox (Chair); Gerard A. Halpin, III (Trustee); M. David Sherrill (Trustee); Bill Griffeth (Councilor); John M. Fleming (Council); David M. Trebing (ex officio); Bruce Bernier (CFO); Ryan J. Woods (President & CEO)
2:00 p.m. EST- Investment Committee
Participants: Investment Committee Members; registration required
Investment Committee members: Jonathan B. Treat (Chair); John E. Corcoran (Treasurer); Mark T. Cox, IV (Trustee); Gerard A. Halpin, III (Trustee); Andrew P. Langlois (Trustee); Mark Kimball Nichols (Trustee); Ryan D. Taliaferro (Trustee); Eric N. Ward (Trustee); Bill Griffeth (Councilor); Scott Tracy (Councilor); Beverly L. Hamilton (Trustee) Stephen J. McCarthy (Councilor); David M. Trebing (ex-officio); Bruce Bernier (CFO); Ryan J. Woods (President & CEO)
3:00 p.m. EST- Nominating Committee
Participants: Nominating Committee Members; registration required
Nominating Committee Members: Mark Cox (Trustee); Mark Kimball Nichols (Trustee); M. David Sherrill (Trustee); Brenda Williams (Trustee); Sarah Gunderson (Councilor); Lisa Pennington (Councilor).
Thursday, January 29
Well-behaved Women Seldom Make History: A Midwinter Conversation with Dr. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich and President & CEO Ryan J. Woods
Join us as we honor Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Dr. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich with an American Ancestors Lifetime Achievement Award in American History. The event will feature a conversation between Dr. Ulrich and American Ancestors President & CEO Ryan J. Woods on the importance of genealogy within the greater field of history and how forgotten stories enrich the human narrative.
About our Honoree:
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich is 300th Anniversary University Professor emerita at Harvard University. She is the author of seven books including A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard Based on Her Diary, 1785–1812 and Well-behaved Women Seldom Make History, exploring the popular phrase which she coined. She has received numerous awards and honors, including the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1991.
Friday, January 30, 2026
10:00 a.m. EST- Plenary Session
Participants: ALL Trustees, Councilors, Honorary Trustees
11:00 a.m. EST- Strategic Planning
Participants: Incumbent Trustees only
Board of Trustees: David M. Trebing — Chair; M. David Sherrill — Vice Chair; Bonnie A. Reilly — Second Vice Chair; Gerard A. Halpin, III — Secretary; John E. Corcoran — Treasurer; Mark T. Cox IV — Corresponding Secretary; Robb Aley Allan; Brady Brim-DeForest; Susan Carlson; Thomas B. Hagen; Beverly Hamilton; Brenda L. Johnson; Andrew P. Langlois; Keli D. Levine; Jo Anne C. Makely; Mark Kimball Nicholas; John S. Rando, Jr.; Helen E. R. Sayles; Ryan D. Taliaferro; Jonathan B. Treat; Elizabeth B. Vitton; Eric N. Ward; Brenda M. Williams; Ryan J. Woods — President and CEO.
12:30 p.m. EST- Break (30 minutes)
1:00 p.m. EST-Executive Committee
Participants: Executive Committee members only
Executive Committee: David Trebing (Chair), M. David Sherrill (Vice Chair), Bonnie A. Reilly (Second Vice Chair), Gerard A. Halpin, III (Secretary), Mark T. Cox ( Corresponding Secretary), John E. Corcoran (Treasurer), Eric N. Ward, Susan E. Carlson, Mark Kimball Nichols, Ryan J. Woods (President and CEO)
2:00 p.m. EST- Board of Trustees
Participants: Trustees only
Board of Trustees: David M. Trebing — Chair; M. David Sherrill — Vice Chair; Bonnie A. Reilly — Second Vice Chair; Gerard A. Halpin, III — Secretary; John E. Corcoran — Treasurer; Mark T. Cox IV — Corresponding Secretary; Robb Aley Allan; Brady Brim-DeForest; Susan Carlson; Thomas B. Hagen; Beverly Hamilton; Brenda L. Johnson; Andrew P. Langlois; Keli D. Levine; Jo Anne C. Makely; Mark Kimball Nicholas; John S. Rando, Jr.; Helen E. R. Sayles; Ryan D. Taliaferro; Jonathan B. Treat; Elizabeth B. Vitton; Eric N. Ward; Brenda M. Williams; Ryan J. Woods — President and CEO.
January Virtual Event
Thursday, January 29
Well-behaved Women Seldom Make History: A Midwinter Conversation with Dr. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich and President & CEO Ryan J. Woods
Click Here to register for the event
Join us as we honor Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Dr. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich with an American Ancestors Lifetime Achievement Award in American History. The event will feature a conversation between Dr. Ulrich and American Ancestors President & CEO Ryan J. Woods on the importance of genealogy within the greater field of history and how forgotten stories enrich the human narrative.
About our Honoree:
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich is 300th Anniversary University Professor emerita at Harvard University. She is the author of seven books including A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard Based on Her Diary, 1785–1812 and Well-behaved Women Seldom Make History, exploring the popular phrase which she coined. She has received numerous awards and honors, including the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1991.
Future Meetings
American Stories, American Lives 2026 Annual Gala
April 23, 2026 Boston, Massachusetts, Boston Harbor Hotel
Gala Patrons: Brady and Jessica Brim-DeForest of Balvaird and Blairlogie
At this year’s American Stories, American Lives Gala, we will commemorate 250 years of family history since our nation’s founding. Throughout the evening, we will celebrate the stories that have shaped America and the ongoing journey of discovery that connects generations—past, present, and future—as we look ahead to the next chapter of the American story.
We are proud to present American Ancestors Lifetime Achievement Awards to Glenn Close, one of the most revered actresses of her generation, whose eight Academy Award nominations and numerous honors across film, television, and theater reflect a career of extraordinary artistic range and impact; and to Dr. Jane Kamensky, President and CEO of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, a distinguished historian whose scholarship and public leadership have profoundly shaped the study and interpretation of early American history.