 | | President
Cathy Gulbrantson
Contact: president @ caggni.org member since 18 Sep 2011
Secretary (2021-present)
FTM SIG chair (2020)
Road Trip Committee (2019-present) 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, and was the acting FTM SIG lead for part of 2020. 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 (2017-2021)
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 VP Michelle Bray Wilson. | 
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| | | | Vice President/Program Chair
Michelle Wilson Contact: programs @ caggni.org; vicepresident @ caggni.org
member since: Nov 2007
Vice President / Program Chair (2021-present)
GeneaQuest Conference Chair (2019-2020)
President (2010-2013)
Membership Chair (2015-2017)
DNA SIG Chair/Co-Chair (2015-2016, 2020-present)
Michelle has been active in the local genealogy community for over a dozen years. In addition to holding multiple offices for CAGGNI, she speaks throughout the Midwest, most frequently on DNA, French Canada, ancient ancestry and creating family history books. She is currently Registrar at a local DAR chapter. An engineer by training, Michelle worked in the medical device manufacturing and communication industries before taking on clients in genealogy. | 
| | | | Secretary/Archivist
Cathy Gulbrantson
Contact: secretary @ caggni.org; archivist @ caggni.org member since 18 Sep 2011
Secretary (2021-present)
FTM SIG chair (2020)
Road Trip Committee (2019-present)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, and was the acting FTM SIG lead for part of 2020. 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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| | Treasurer
Bill Neurauter member since: May 2016
Treasurer (2019-present)
Bill started his interest in genealogy in the spring of 2012 when a friend found an overview on Ancestry.com of his paternal great-grandfather Sebastian, who was living in Etz-Tirol, Austria, in 1881, before leaving for Hamburg with his two brothers and a sister-in-law. Bill relied on Google and FamilySearch.com before doing his DNA with 23andMe and AncestryDNA. He recently contacted a second cousin on his mother’s side, who he never knew.
Bill has a background in accounting and retired from the Illinois Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves after 32 years. He is licensed in Illinois for personal lines of Insurance. He and his wife, Marlene, met square dancing, where they have been active in the Chicago Metro Council and State Council of Square Dancing. | | | | | Membership Chair
Dennis Murray
Contact: membership @ caggni.org
member since: Jan 2016
Membership Chair (2018-present) Dennis is a retired Human Resources and Talent Acquisition Specialist in the engineering and video game industries. He was born and raised in northern New Jersey and has a B.A. from Marquette University. In 1974, Dennis settled in the Chicago area where he raised two children with his wife Susan. His genealogical interests started in 2008, and he’s been bugging his known relatives ever since. His heritage is Irish and Eastern European – most likely Lemkos of the north Carpathian Galician region. His wife’s family is northern Italian, immigrating to Iowa, Illinois and California. Dennis has helped three adoptees find their biological parents, which were very rewarding experiences. He has keen interests in world travel and has seen the totality of a solar eclipse. | 
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| | | Newsletter Editor
Rose Lehne Contact: newsletter @ caggni.org
member since: 2011
Newsletter Editor (2015-present) Rose enjoys
making the connection to her ancestors and
finds researching, continuing education,
teaching and technology rewarding aspects of
family history research. Wanting to share
stories with family members, she started
printing a semiannual newsletter. Out of the 30
copies distributed, she hopes a few of them will
survive the years for a future genealogist to
find.
Rose enjoys European travel and has had the opportunity to visit her father’s birthplace in Sicily and the church in County Clare, Ireland, where her 2nd great grandparents were married. She is currently on the board of the DuPage County Genealogical Society where she is Web Coordinator. A frequent contributor to the CAGGNI Newsletter, she also provides the Best of 101 Tips column.
|  | | | | Promotions/Publicity Chair
OpenContact: promotions @ caggni.org,
fundraising @ caggni.org
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| | Website Content Director
Nancy I.Z. Reese Contact: webmaster @ caggni.org member since: 28 Jul 2012
Website Content Director (2016-present)
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. This great-something grandmother later turned out to be the granddaughter of a Revolutionary War soldier.
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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| | GeneaQuest Conference Chair
Liz Ross Contact: geneaquest @ caggni.org member since: Dec 2012
GeneaQuest Chair (2021-2022) Liz Ross has been researching since “pre-Ancestry” and cut her genealogical teeth on Civil War pension records at NARA. She researches Utah to D.C., lectures regionally and writes a “not everyday” blog at dancingbranches.blogspot.com. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. Liz was a professional cellist before turning her focus to genealogy. She lives in River Forest with her husband Bob.
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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, mostly 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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