Hello, I'm Sunny
I'm an internationally-known genealogy speaker and award-winning writer and editor who is helps people discover their roots, preserve their stories, and deepen their identity in meaningful ways.
My work spans multiple platforms. I'm a Contributing Editor at Family Tree Magazine (US) and the Editor of NGS Magazine. As past Editor of Ohio Genealogy News, I won an editing award from the National Genealogical Society. I'm a past contributor to the blog at FamilySearch (the world's largest free genealogy website) and Lisa Louise Cooke's Genealogy Gems podcast.
I've lectured at the Library of Congress, RootsTech, GRIP Genealogy Institute, the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, and conferences across the United States and internationally.
As lead author of the critically-acclaimed How to Find Your Family History in U.S. Church Records (which won the National Genealogical Society's Award for Excellence), I'm recognized as a leading expert in using religious records for genealogy research. My newest publication, due out in January 2026, is Searching for Sisters: Researching Catholic Nuns in the United States. It was supported in part by the Cushwa Center for American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame. I am an associate member of the Archivists for Congregations of Women Religious.
Family History is For Everyone
Everyone has ancestors. Everyone deserves to know as much about them as they can learn. Everyone deserves to experience the proven benefits of knowing your roots--benefits like resilience and a greater sense of connection.
Online resources have put family history documents within reach of more people. Thanks to DNA, people with unknown origins are finally finding answers, too. Many of history's previously invisible individuals—those living in poverty, powerlessness, illiteracy, enslavement, colonial bondage--are gradually being "seen" (even if not fully identified) by descendants and communities. This matters. Understanding where we came from helps us know who we are. Understanding how we have treated each other helps us be accountable and increases the changes that we can learn from the past.
I look forward to connecting with you.
Let me know what kind of event you're planning and what you'd like me to do. If you've reviewed my topics already, let me know what you're interested in. I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I'm booking for 2026 and 2027.
