Our Team
Stephanie Horton, MSEd, IGG
Stephanie Horton is a founding member and Investigative Genetic Genealogist. Prior to taking on this role, Stephanie worked in Corporate and Government Public Health over a 25 year career. She brings with her Program Planning, Training, and Research experience in the fields of Health Behavior and Higher Education. Stephanie is a graduate of the Ramapo College Investigative Genetic Genealogy Program and practices genetic genealogy for adoptees and families searching for biological relatives. She is a member of the National Genealogical Society and currently serves as the Communications Coordinator for the Investigative Genetic Genealogy Accreditation Board (IGGAB). She is pleased to be of service to Law Enforcement, collaborating and ushering in much needed IGG Services. Stephanie earned a BHS from the Medical University of SC and a MSEd from Virginia Tech. 
Diane Bates, Ph.D., IGG
Diane Bates is a founding member and Investigative Genetic Genealogist. She has held numerous roles before entering the field of Investigative Genetic Genealogy. Diane has degrees and experience in both School and Developmental Psychology. She has worked in the fields of Outcomes Consulting, Institutional Research and Program Evaluation and has run her own retail business for many years. She has also worked as a Costumer for numerous Community Theatre productions winning two Syracuse Area Live Theatre awards. Diane currently serves as a Board Member for two non-profit organizations: The American Historical Society of Germans from Russia and Ophelia’s Place. Diane originally moved into the field of IGG after using Genetic Genealogy to identify an adopted family member’s biological parents. She is a graduate of Ramapo College Investigative Genetic Genealogy Program. Diane is excited to be working in a field that helps law enforcement bring closure and justice to families through the use of leads generated by Genetic Genealogy .
Mary Youngquist, BA, IGG
Mary Youngquist is a Waypoint Team Leader and Investigative Genetic Genealogist. She spent the first half of her career working in private industry for IBM and BAE Systems and then transitioned into the public sector. She’s a former CBP and CIA officer with extensive experience working with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.
After retirement, Mary became a security consultant to Buckley Petersen Global LLC, which she continues to do today. In 2023, she started her own IGG Company, Young Investigative Genetic Genealogy LLC.
Mary began her 30+ year journey in genealogy as a hobbyist. She has completed numerous, extensive trees for family and friends. Her interest in genetic genealogy began when she discovered hitherto unknown family members who had been adopted, by analyzing shared DNA test results in direct-to-consumer databases.
Mary completed Ramapo College of NJ's IGG Certificate Program and is currently partnering with Waypoint IGG LLC.
James Whitaker III, MA, IGG
James Whitaker III is a Waypoint Team Analyst/Auditor and Investigative Genetic Genealogist. He spent the first few years of his career working for the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office before finishing with the Bayonne Police Department, retiring as a Police Lieutenant.
Additionally, James served in the United States Navy Reserves for twenty-seven years as a Security Officer retiring as a Lieutenant Commander. He was deployed twice earning the Global War on Terrorism Service medal in support of Operation Noble Eagle / Enduring Freedom.
In 2023, he started his own IGG Company, Find My Kin LLC. In his spare time, he assists adoptees locate biological family as well as assist persons who have unexpected DNA results.
James received his MA degree from Seton Hall University and has a Paralegal Certificate from Middlesex County College. He is also a graduate of Ramapo College’s Investigative Genetic Genealogy Program. 
Sandra Lerman, BS, IGG
Sandra Lerman is a Waypoint Team Analyst and Investigative Genetic Genealogist. She received her BS in biology from Barnard College. Upon graduation, she worked in the biotechnology sector for 10 years, after which she took a break to dedicate herself to raising her children.
In 2018, Sandra assisted her best friend in finding her birth parents. Witnessing the profound impact of this reunion on her friend’s life sparked Sandra's interest in IGG. Once her children went off to college, she decided to follow her passion and enrolled in the Ramapo College Investigative Genetic Genealogy Program.
Sandra is excited to join Waypoint where she can apply her skills to help uncover new leads for law enforcement as well as families of unidentified decedents
Sheri Woody, MA, IGG
Sheri Woody is a Waypoint Team Analyst and Investigative Genetic Genealogist. She received her BS in psychology from Virginia Tech and MA in psychology/school psychology from Towson University. She recently retired after 25 years as a school psychologist working in the educational setting.
Sheri is a graduate of the Ramapo College Investigative Genetic Genealogy Program and is currently working as a volunteer through the Ramapo College IGG Center. She has started her own IGG company, DNA Connections LLC, to provide services to those who are looking for genetic relatives in their family trees.
Sheri is honored to join the Waypoint IGG team and have the chance to use her IGG skills and experience toward the goal of providing investigative leads to law
enforcement agencies.
Ann Buckley, MSEd, MA, IGG
Ann Buckley is an Investigative Genetic Genealogist and manages her own company, BeQuest DNA Solutions, LLC. She is a fall 2023 graduate of Ramapo College’s Investigative Genetic Genealogy program. With over 30
years of genealogical research experience, Ann has researched her own family history, as well as that of dozens of others. She has solved several cases for adoptees searching for birth parents. She currently works on her own cases, as well as volunteering on cases through Ramapo College IGG Center and volunteers as a Waypoint Team Analyst. The goals are to provide investigative leads to solve cases of unidentified human remains.
In addition to genetic genealogy research, Ann is a teacher of English to speakers of other languages and has taught ESL in a public high school in Rochester, NY, at Arizona State University, and Mesa Community College.
She holds two master’s degrees, one in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from Nazareth University in Rochester, NY, and one in Linguistics/Applied Linguistics from Arizona State University in Tempe. She is fluent in Spanish, holding a B.A. in Spanish from Geneseo State University in Geneseo, NY. She is partly retired from teaching but does so on an as-needed basis. She is originally a native of Owego, Tioga County, NY and lived in Rochester, NY for many years.
Morgan Kennon, IGG
Morgan Kennon is a dedicated investigative genetic genealogist with a passion for uncovering stories hidden within DNA. Morgan began this journey in 2019 after a personal DNA surprise sparked an interest in genealogy and a drive to help others. Initially focusing on assisting adoptees in finding their biological families, Morgan’s expertise has since expanded to Private Investigations Consulting and solving cold cases, including work on identifying six John and Jane Does.
A graduate of the Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) program at Ramapo College of New Jersey in the fall of 2023, Morgan combines a strong research background with advanced genetic techniques to deliver meaningful results. Over the years, Morgan has successfully worked on more than 20 adoption cases, reuniting individuals with their biological families and providing answers that change lives.
Balancing the demands of parenting and her professional work, Morgan brings compassion, determination, and expertise to every case she takes on, helping to uncover the truths that matter most.
Sara Mann is a Waypoint Team Analyst and Investigative Genetic Genealogist. She received her BA in English from UC Berkeley and her JD from UCLA School of Law, after which she spent 25 years practicing law in the Bay Area. In her law practice she specialized in advising corporate clients in the alcoholic beverage industry, both as in-house counsel and as a partner in a law firm in San Francisco.
After discovering and becoming fascinated by genetic genealogy in 2020, Sara completed genealogy courses at Boston University and began volunteering at
DNAngels, a nonprofit that helps adoptees and others identify biological family through genetic genealogy. She is also a graduate of the Ramapo College of Investigative Genetic Genealogy Program and currently works as a volunteer for the Ramapo College IGG Center. As an attorney, she is interested in the legal aspects involved with the forensic use of DNA and the use of IGG as a tool to provide investigative leads to
law enforcement.
Sara is grateful for the opportunity to support Waypoint’s mission of providing leads to law enforcement for unidentified decedent cases, as well as violent crime and exoneration cases, using IGG.Sara Mann, JD, IGG