Board Members

Excited by the growing field but concerned about a lack of accountability, these highly qualified and experienced individuals came together to found the Investigative Genetic Genealogy Accreditation Board in early 2022. The Board consists of individuals who bring a wide range and depth of experience. All are volunteers and are passionate about ​furthering IGG as a career, and preserving the use of this revolutionary tool. 

David Gurney, JD/PhD
David is an assistant professor of Law & Society at Ramapo College, a consulting wrongful convictions attorney licensed in AZ and NJ, and a genetic genealogist. He is the Director of the nascent Investigative Genealogy Lab at Ramapo College, where one of the missions is to expand the use of IGG in helping to exonerate the wrongfully convicted. He is a board member of the Forensic Genealogy Special Interest Group of the Association of Professional Genealogists. Before moving to academia, he was a Fellow at the Wrongful Convictions Clinic at the University of Arizona College of Law. David serves as President of IGGAB and brings exceptional leadership and writing skills as well as his legal expertise to the group.

Margaret Press, PhD
Margaret is the CEO and co-founder of the DNA Doe Project, which since its inception in 2017, has enabled identifications in more than 90 cases where other efforts had failed. Collaborating with investigators from over 150 law enforcement agencies across the US and Canada, Margaret and her team have also developed extensive experience working with and choosing the best forensic labs around the world for each case. Her specialized experience with unidentified human remains (UHR) as well as running a highly successful non-profit, are much valued benefits she brings to the Board.

Carol Isbister Rolnick
Carol is a leading researcher in the genetic genealogy community for over a decade. She has been a professional Genetic Genealogist since 2015, first as a consultant for individuals seeking to identify their biological family, and since 2018 with Parabon NanoLabs. She has worked with numerous investigating agencies, and aided in the positive identification of over 50 previously unknown subjects, placing her at the forefront of the field. As an active practitioner of Investigative Genetic Genealogy, Carol brings a depth of casework and experience to the Board, including best practices and ethical considerations that have developed directly from her work.

Andrew Hochreiter, MEd, MIS
Andrew is an avid genetic genealogist with deep experience in education and application of genetic genealogy tools and techniques. He instructs classes in genetic genealogy,  leads DNA focus groups, manages surname projects and leads a genetic genealogy conference. Andrew brings credentialing and standards experience to the Board from his career as a certified systems engineer, where he represented and mentored for the accreditation program as well as developing standards at a government intelligence agency. As a resident of Maryland, Andrew is also deeply invested in facilitating the effective application of investigative genetic genealogy within the State’s regulatory guidance.

​Bonnie Bossert, MBA, GC
Bonnie is a passionate genetic genealogy researcher and family historian. Focusing on education for older adults, she applied her gerontology background to develop and teach DNA Kindergarten™ and presents on Genealogy and DNA topics. During her long career in financial services, she led the development of ANSI and ISO standards for both the credit card and Electronic Benefit Transfer industries. Bonnie's tremendous administration skills and depth of experience in the development of standards are great assets to the Board.

Michele Kennedy, CLEA
Michele has been in law enforcement since 1993, and a crime analyst for a law enforcement agency in the State of Colorado for the past 25 years. She runs her own Investigative Genetic Genealogy company, which has aided numerous outside law enforcement agencies in solving cases using IGG. She has also identified over 100 birth parents for adoptees and other searchers using genetic genealogy. In 2005, Michele became one of the first Certified Law Enforcement Analysts in the US. She later chaired the Certification Commission for the International Association of Crime Analysts, and oversaw the certification process for ten years, gaining valuable experience which she now brings to IGGAB.

Amanda Reno
Amanda is a Director and Founding Partner of AdvanceDNA, which uses IGG to provide DNA-centered identity research services to law enforcement agencies. In 2020, Amanda became the first Investigative Genetic Genealogist to testify at trial in a criminal case. Since 2015, she has provided genetic genealogy research to hundreds of individuals seeking their biological identity. She is a reoccurring speaker for several colleges, genealogical societies, and law enforcement organizations. Additionally, Amanda is a Managing Partner of 1982 Audiocast, writer and host of Solvable by Audiochuck, and volunteer with Adoption Network Cleveland. She has nearly 20 years' experience in the financial sector where her skillset expands to risk and threat analysis, enterprise controls management, resiliency, and analytics.

Check out our Board of Advisors as well.