Meet Our Team

FSGS Volunteers

Melbourne, Florida

Marlis Humphrey

President
Marlis served previously as FSGS Publications Chair, Technology Outreach Chair guiding the launch of the popular FSGS Poolside Chats Monthly Webinar Series (now in its eighth year), and Local Host Marketing Chair NGS 2016. She is immediate past president of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) and was co-chair of the IAJGS 2013 Boston Conference. Marlis served as VP Programs for the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando. Marlis is a member of NGS and APG and holds a B.A. Russian and M.S. Management of Technology.

Bartow, Florida

John Laurent

Vice President
John Laurent is a Florida native and from a Florida pioneer family. He has received a degree in Economics in the School of Business from the University of Florida a Juris Doctor in law from the University of Florida. John practiced law from 1972- 2002. While practicing law, he was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1990-1997 and the Florida Senate from 1997-2002. He was a Circuit Judge from 2002-2012 and I retired in 2012. John is a member of NGS, FSGS, FSG, and IPGS. He received a certificate in genealogy from Boston University in 2015.

Port Richey, Florida

Donna J. Sadler

FSGS Treasurer
I am a semi-retired accounting specialist. I have been Office Mgr / Admin Assistant / Accounting Specialist / Bank Teller and Loan Officer for over 30 years. I am originally from upstate NY in Ulster- Orange County area. I have 3 children and 8 grands. My hobbies are Genealogy Crocheting Reading and Organizing. I belong to the Tampa NSDAR Chapter servicing as a Vice Regent. I also am a member of the War of 1812 and Daughters of the Union Veterans of Civil War (Mary Todd Lincoln Tent 10).

Eustis, Florida

Debbie Baker

Director-at-Large
Deborah Bond Baker is 3rd-generation native Miamian. She has been researching her family history since 1980. She has served in several positions on the FSGS board over the course of a number of years, as well as in several other genealogical societies. She moved from Miami to Eustis, Florida in 2008 and continues her service there for the Tavares Roots & Branches group. She enjoys traveling and researching onsite where her ancestors once lived. She and her husband, John, of 37 years, have 2 adult children and recently added a new son-in-law to their tree.

Lake Alfred, Florida

Connie White

Director-at-Large
Currently serves in the following volunteer positions: Assist patrons, Polk County Historical and Genealogical Library; Historian, Mackay Gardens and Lakeside Preserve, Lake Alfred; Curator, Lake Alfred Historical Society Museum; President, Lake Alfred Historical Society; Vice-President, Lake Alfred Friends of the Library. In those positions, she has: helped to attain a Polk County Historical Marker for the Fruitlands Institute (a Rosenwald school) in Lake Alfred; completed research and documentation recognizing the Mackay estate home in Lake Alfred as a Gustav Stickley design; and provided research to author Phillip Dodd in his work on the memoirs of Ann-Marie Wallenburg Bonsor, the granddaughter of Alexander Mackay

Mount Dora, Florida

Pat Rand

Pioneer Chair & Preservation Chair
Chair, Florida Pioneer Descendant Certificate Program; Chair, Preservation Projects
I was born in Cleveland, attended college in Boston, and lived in Virginia most of my adult life, moving to Florida in 2003. I served two terms as FSGS Treasurer and two terms as FGS Treasurer, as well as five years as President of The Villages Genealogical Society. I spend most of my time working on some sort of genealogy project – I never get enough of it!

Merritt Island, Florida

Sharon Eller

Membership Chair
Sharon is a 6th generation Native Floridian. She is a member and past President of the Brevard Genealogy Society, member of Florida State Genealogy Society, the North Carolina Genealogy Society, and the National Genealogy Society. Sharon is the Regent of Rufus Fairbanks DAR Chapter.

Jacksonville, Florida

C. Ann Staley, CG®, CGLSM

Poolside Chats Webinar Program Leader,
Virtual Conference Chair, The Florida Genealogist volunteer, Past Director (2000-2020)

C. Ann Staley, CG®, CGL(SM), is an educator, consultant, and a lecturer. She is the Education Chairman for the Jacksonville Genealogical Society, Inc.; the Vice President of the Genealogical Speakers Guild; on the faculty of The National Institute for Genealogical Studies; and a volunteer of the Florida State Genealogical Society. Ann is the author of several articles for the NGS Magazine and the co-author of the NGS Research in the States Series-Florida. Her specialties are methodology, vital records and their sources, computer research resources, conference planning, and assisted genealogy research trips.

The Villages, Florida

Annette Burke Lyttle

The Florida Genealogist Editor
Poolside Chats Host

Annette Burke Lyttle provides professional services in research, education, and writing. She speaks at the national, state, and local levels and loves helping people uncover and share their family stories. Annette taught in “Exploring Quaker Records in America” at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh in June 2020 and is course coordinator for “From Sea to Shining Sea: Researching Our Ancestors’ Migrations in America” for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy in January 2021. Annette is a member of the board of directors of the Association of Professional Genealogists and Vice President of The Villages Genealogical Society.

Vero Beach, Florida

Bob Inhoff

Webmaster, Poolside Chat Assistant
Bob Inhoff has actively pursued researching his family history for nearly 20 years. He has served as Chair of the Technology Committee and Webmaster for the Indian River Genealogical Society, webmaster for the Florida State Genealogical Society as well as for the Goff-Gough Family Association. Bob has his own genealogy blog at bobsgenealogyquest.com. An active member of the Indian River Genealogical Society since retiring to Vero Beach in 2006, Bob also enjoys photography, gardening, and volunteering for Habitat with Humanity.

Bunnell, Florida

Ashley Gonzalez

Newsletter Editor, Brand Refresh, Interim TFG Journal, Interim Social Media, Interim Website Migration
Ashley Gonzalez was born and raised in Bunnell, Florida, where her family originally settled during the early 1850s. Genealogy has been a passion since her grandmother passed away in 1996 and she inherited her grandmothers research. Ashley is currently the director of digital operations for a small publications company, handling digital marketing and sales. This led to working with Marlis to create the Fresh from Florida FSGS newsletter. She also volunteers with the Flagler County Historical Society, Genealogy Society of Flagler County, and the Firebird Forensics Group in addition to working toward her Accredited Genealogist credentials for the Southeast Region through ICAPGen.

Ormond Beach, Florida

Clyde P. Stickney

Records Administrator, Florida Pioneer Descendant Certificate Program
Clyde grew up in Key West, where his ancestors have resided since the late 1830s. He has established six of his ancestors as Florida State Pioneers. Clyde has served on the Pioneer Committee for ten years. Clyde graduated with various degrees from Florida State University and spent his professional career teaching accounting, primarily at Dartmouth College.

Ormond Beach, Florida

Kathy J. Stickney

Florida Pioneer Descendant Certification Committee- Reviewer
Kathy Stickney graduated from Florida State University with undergraduate (education) and graduate (library science)degrees. She has been researching her family for about 26 years. Her family traces back from Alabama to England (father’s side) and from Indiana to England and Germany (mother’s side). She has proven several family lines as First Families of Ohio and First Families of Pennsylvania. She wrote a historical novel on her father’s family that fought in the Civil War. Kathy has been a genealogical speaker and has written several articles for genealogical and historical magazines. She is active in her local genealogical society as well as in DAR of Daughters of the War of 1812.

Palm Coast, Florida

Bill Meister

Florida Pioneer Descendant Certification Committee- Reviewer
Bill Meister was born and grew up in Hudson County, New Jersey. He started working on his genealogy with a very simple question. My name is William, my father’s name is William, and his father’s name is William, what was his father’s name? (my paternal great grandfather). No one in the family knew his name or they weren’t willing to talk about it. That non-answer kindled his quest to learn much more about his German, Irish, and Italian ancestors. Since 1995 he has seriously pursued his family’s genealogy and has enjoyed helping others do the same.

Bill is currently the president of the Genealogy Society of Flagler County. He is also a member of the Florida State Genealogical Society serving as a member of the Florida Pioneer Descendant Certification Review Committee and a member of the National Genealogical Society.

Deland, Florida

Cindy J. Hineman

Former Florida Pioneer Descendant Certification Committee- Reviewer
Upon ‘retirement’ Cindy decided to pursue her passion for family history by becoming a professional genealogist and certified lifestory writing coach. She has served in several leadership positions for the Florida State Genealogical Society (FSGS), where she recently helped on the Florida Pioneer Descendant Certification Committee. Cindy maintains current memberships in FSGS, several other state societies and the Association of Professional Genealogists. Cindy has formed her own company, Leave Your Legacy, Connecting the Past to the Present for the Future, offering group lectures, genealogy research, lineage application preparations, personal family history consultations, as well as Lifestory Writing workshops. Ms. Hineman, hails from Western Pennsylvania and presently lives in DeLand, Fl.

Yoder, Colorado

Donna O’Steen-Mixon

Florida Pioneer Descendant Certification Committee- Reviewer
Recently a relative, a historian at the U. S. capital, shared a story about our ancestor, John Robison. In 1620, Robison boarded the ship “Speedwell”, headed to the New World. The Speedwell sprang a leak. After two returns to port, its passengers were squeezed into the Mayflower. Because of this delay, the Atlantic was crossed at the height of storm season. Most were incapacitated by seasickness. Upon reaching the New World, the ships’ crew discovered they were off course, well north of the Virginia Company. Nonetheless, these colonists stayed In Massachusetts and founded the Plymouth Colony.
This was an important story for me personally. We all have an important story. I am so blessed to be a part of FSGS; to help others preserve, or ofttimes discover, their story.

Washington State

Cedar Acosta Armbruster

Florida Pioneer Descendant Certification Committee- Reviewer
Born and raised in Jacksonville, spent 9 years in Tallahassee. Living in Washington state since 1981. Ancestors arrived in NE Florida in late 1700’s.
I began exploring my family history in 2004 after discovering that reality was different than the commonly told family story. And so I returned to my first career as a reference librarian. Otherwise, I spent 30 years in the healing arts as a massage therapist and taijiquan instructor. When I can, I enjoy visiting my off grid cabin in north central Washington with my husband Kurt, a writer and historian.

Raiford, Florida

Delores M. Jeffrey

Florida Pioneer Descendant Certification Committee- Reviewer
After a 20 year career in the Navy Aviation, I joined GE, as a Leading Indication Engineer on defense systems. Service incurred disabilities forced me into retirement. Not much later my Grandmother passed and I took over as family historian and discovered Genealogy. I was instantly hooked. I still consider myself a beginner as I still have so much to learn. When not researching family trees, I’m on my small equine farm, traveling or hanging out with family.