 | | President
Cathy Gulbrantson
Contact: president @ caggni.org member since 18 Sep 2011 President (2022-present)
GeneaQuest Co-Chair 2024
Secretary (2021-2022)
FTM SIG Chair (2020) Cathy has been working on genealogy on and off for about 25 years after her paternal aunt provided the print out of a family tree at a family reunion. She has traced her French-Canadian ancestors back to the mid-1650s and is trying to trace her Irish side back to Cork, Galway and Monaghan Counties. Having done DNA testing, Cathy connected with cousins living 10 minutes from her daughter in St. Paul, MN. Cathy was a 2019 Road Trip committee member for the trip to Washington, DC. Cathy retired as an IT Project Manager in 2015 and worked in various IT roles for over 40 years. Living in Palatine, she has been married for over 30 years, has two grown children and two cats. | 
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| Past President
Alan Wilson Contact: pastpresident @ caggni.org member since: 9 Nov 2007 Internet SIG (2017-present)
President (2016-2020)
FTM Chair (2011-2015)
DNA SIG Co-Chair (2015-2019) Alan Wilson has been working on the genealogy of his family since 2007. He has used various software tools and databases, including Family Tree Maker, Ancestry, The Master Genealogist, Webtrees, WikiTree and Gramps. Alan became interested in DNA for genealogy in 2008. Since then he has tested with Family Tree DNA and Ancestry, and has used DNA comparisons on Family Tree DNA, DNAGedCom, GedMatch, Y-Search, YBase and Ancestry.
Alan is currently Past President and leader of the Internet SIG. He is a regular contributor to the CAGGNI monthly newsletter and a past leader of the Family Tree Maker Special Interest Group (2011-2015). Alan lives in Long Grove and is married to fellow CAGGNI member Michelle Bray Wilson. | 
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| | | | Vice President/Program Chair
Open Contact: programs @ caggni.org; vicepresident @ caggni.org
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| | | | Secretary/Archivist
Kathy Murray
Contact: secretary @ caggni.org; archivist @ caggni.org member since 09 Oct 2017
Secretary (2023-present)
Kathy’s genealogy research began after typing the name of her biological grandmother into FamilySearch and finding a tree. The family’s Chicago roots started in the 1840s but DNA testing has led to communication with cousins in Ireland, England and other places in the United States. One find, through a DNA match, was learning that descendants of her great-great McGuane grandparents continue to live on the same farm in Ballymacaula, County Clare, Ireland. Kathy is a software engineer at a defense contractor in Rolling Meadows.
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| | Treasurer
Marty Acks member since: Jan 2016 Treasurer (2025-present)
FTM Chair (2022-2024)
Promotions/Publicity Chair (2018-2022) Marty became a genealogy enthusiast in 1999 after having caught the bug from his mom and dad. He continues to expand on their work to this day. He currently volunteers at WikiTree where he contributes to the global family tree, leads multiple surname studies and many genealogy “Thons“. Marty is also an active volunteer and Board Member of the Downers Grove Historical Society. Marty’s vacations now often include a hunt for ancestors. In 2016 he traveled to Scotland to visit the ancestral homeland of the Porterfields, on his maternal grandmother's side. Marty is retired from the computer software industry. He was co-founder of Silvon Software. He lives in Downers Grove with his wife, Carine. They have one adult son, a daughter-in-law and two grandchildren who live in the Chicago area. | | | | | Membership Chair
Larry Olson
Contact: membership @ caggni.org
member since: 31 Dec 1994
Membership Chair (2024-present)
RootsMagic and TMG Special Interest Group Leader (2015-present)
Promotions and Publicity (2015-2017)
Secretary (2013-2014)
Membership Chair (2003-2005)
Genealogy Mentor (2002)
Program/Publicity Chair (1999-2001)
President (1996-1998) Larry Olson is a Minnesota native who has been doing family research since the early 1970s, when a grandmother told him he was related to John Philip Sousa. He has never proved that legend, but he's discovered a lot of other things and had a great time doing it (Norwegians and Germans on his side, and Swedes and Revolutionary War on his wife's). He hopes that one day someone in his immediate family will appreciate all the work he has done (while he was neglecting them for dead relatives and dusty old records...). Larry is retired from the IRS Crime Lab as a forensic document examiner. One of Larry's proudest accomplishments was presiding when CAGGNI was born. The group had been created several years before as the Northern Illinois Personal Ancestral File User's Group (NIPAFUG) at the Schaumburg LDS Church. Because of increasing diversity of genealogical interests, the group decided to expand its scope and became the Computer Assisted Genealogy Group of Northern Illinois, or CAGGNI. | 
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| | | Newsletter Editor
Georgene Anderson Contact: newsletter @ caggni.org
member since: Oct 2015 Newsletter Editor (2025-present) Georgene has been working on and off on genealogy since the late 1990s when her son had a high school project to learn about his family history. She purchased an early version of Family Tree Maker. Later she switched to Reunion, then joined Ancestry and did her DNA. Her DNA says she is 87% Irish. Her Irish ancestors mostly came over in the mid-to-late 1800s. Other ancestors came from French Canada and Alsace Lorraine Switzerland. She has traveled to Ireland and is always interested in a trip where she can add to her genealogy.
Georgene was born and raised in Chicago and, after college, worked in investment research for many years. She lives in Elmhurst with her husband, Keith. They have one son who resides in Seattle with his wife. | 
| | | | Promotions/Publicity Chair
Nancy I.Z. ReeseContact: promotions @ caggni.org,
fundraising @ caggni.org member since: Jul 2012
Promotions Chair (2023-present)
Website Content Director (2016-2022) Nancy began her search in 2000 for her ancestors, most of whom arrived in the U.S. before the Civil War. She has researched in archives and libraries across the U.S. and will never forget finding the obituary of her great-great-great grandmother, who died in Oregon, in a small town library in Indiana. Nancy later discovered that this great-something grandmother was the granddaughter of a Revolutionary War soldier. She is a member of the Mayflower Society, Daughters of the American Revolution and the Daughters of 1812. Nancy retired in 2012 after 32 years with the Chicago Tribune. She now volunteers at the Mount Prospect Historical Society and the Mount Prospect Public Library in its genealogy department. She is past president of the Garden Club of Mount Prospect. Nancy has served on the newsletter, the road trip and GeneaQuest committees. She and her husband, John, a golf professional, enjoy antiquing in their spare time.
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| | Website Content Director
John Stryker Contact: webmaster @ caggni.org member since: 06 Jul 2008
Website Content Director (2023-present)
John Stryker is retired from being distinguished professor and chair of Computer Technologies and Information Systems at Oakton Community College in Des Plaines. He is a member of the CAGGNI technology team. John speaks at CAGGNI and other groups, including an annual feature on technology. He holds a B.S. in Actuarial Science from the University of Illinois and an M.S. in Computer Science from Northeastern Illinois University. | 
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| | GeneaQuest Conference Chair
Cathy Gulbrantson & Larry Olson Contact: geneaquest @ caggni.org See bios above.
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| | | Road Trip Chair
Marti Gustafson Contact: RoadTripChair @ caggni.org
member since: Feb 2015
Road Trip Chair (2016-present) Marti was born and raised in Evanston, IL. She began her search in genealogy in 1991 after the death of her mother. Her dad told her that he was of German decent and from Germany. It was not until she went to the Newberry Library that she found out the Welters came from Luxembourg. Marti started her genealogy research with the Family Tree Maker CD and the free 3 months subscription to Ancestry.
Marti has worked in information technology for 20 years, including at Sears Holding in Hoffman Estates. Prior to that, she worked as a statistician for Washington National Insurance in Evanston and Allstate Insurance in Northbrook. Marti joined CAGGNI because she was interested in the road trips – now she is the chair of the committee. |  | | | |
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