Charles Kenneth Barker is an IAAGG charter member and has served on the IAAGG Board twice as President, Vice President, Chair of the Research and Education Committee, and three terms as Treasurer. He has been researching his family history for over forty years and has compiled and distributed three books on his family--The Barker’s, Stewart’s, Caudle’s, and Elam’s of Tennessee and Kentucky. Additionally, he has given several presentations on family research, including DNA genetic genealogy and Family Tree Maker Software. Charles’ other passions include financial investments. He is a member of 100 Black Men of Indianapolis Finance and Financial Literacy Committeesas well as three investment clubs.

Charles retired as the Senior Vice President/CIO of United Presidential Life Insurance Company. Previous positions include Manager of Computer Systems and Programming, Computer System Analyst, IBM Field Engineer, Adjunct Faculty Member at IUPUI, and A Registered Representative for Prudential Securities. 

Charles is married to Shirley and has four adult children and three granddaughters.

DESIGNATIONS AND AWARDS

• DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI - Purdue University.

• SYSTEMS MAN OF 'THE YEAR -Association for System Management (ASM)

• Bachelor of Science -Computer Technology, Purdue at Indianapolis

• Fellow (FLMI) -LIFE OFFICE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION INSTITUTE (LOMA)

• Series 6 and Series 63 Security Licenses to sell Mutual Funds

• Indiana Life Insurance License

• Featured in Best Magazine (Insurance industry publication)

• Featured in an IBM Application Brochure for the design and implementation of insurance operation

• Featured in Ebony Magazine’s SPEAKING OF PEOPLE 

PAST PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

• PURDUE UNIVERSITY AT KOKOMOIndustrial Advisory Board

• PURDUE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING and TECHNOLOGY at IUPUI ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Board Member

• INDIANAPOLIS PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION (IPA) Board Member, President

• ASSOCIATION FOR SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT (ASM) Chapter President, Regional Director

• PALLM, INC. USER GROUP (Insurance software} President

• BEIC INVESTMENT CLUB President, Treasurer

I hold a Master’s Degree in Education and recently retired as a teacher in IPS. In addition, in December of 2008, I earned a second Master’s Degree in School Administration and Supervision. I teach education classes for IVY Tech, Child Development Associate (CDA) classes, and serve as a Professional Development Specialist for CDA students. I have experience facilitating workshops for groups of 50-500 people on topics such as diversity, stress, positive discipline, inclusion, and others. In addition to the "work" I do, in my spare time, I love listening to all kinds of music, traveling, dancing, walking in nature, doing Zumba, viewing movies, participating in genealogy webinars, researching ancestors to build my family tree, learning ASL, and hanging out with close friends and family members. 

I began researching my ancestors as a youngster, as part of a homework assignment, and built my family tree back to my grandparents. I only began serious genealogical research within the past 10 years. My maternal line is from Ohio, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, and southern Indiana. My paternal line is from TN and KY.

Donna Calhoun is a retired US Postal Service manager. She was born and raised in Indianapolis, IN. Her paternal roots (Sanford) go back to Rockport (Spencer County), IN. Her maternal roots (Stewart) go back to Clarksville (Montgomery County), TN. Like so many others, she was inspired to search her roots after watching the miniseries Roots. An opportunity to take a work assignment in Washington, D.C. in 1991, provided her the first chance to research the National Archives, decades before so much information became digitally available. Spending weekends at the National Archives putting together the puzzle pieces of her family, started her passion for research.

In June 2019, Donna organized the Stewart Generations Family Reunion held in Clarksville, TN, at the church where the Stewarts had attended since moving from Stewart County to Montgomery County in 1915. It was a successful event in that multiple generations were able to attend, many of whom had never been there before and knew very little of the Stewart history.

In her spare time, Donna teaches water aerobics at the OrthoIndy YMCA. She continues to research her family and plays Sudoku. 

JaKobi joined IAAGG after attending his 1st genealogy conference in 2014. Like his father, he has always been interested in history. JaKobi is excited to apprentice under Charles Barker to learn and grow in preparation of becoming the Treasurer of IAAGG. To diversify his professional portfolio and become more involved in his community, he has volunteered to become a board member of his Homeowner's Association as well as the Moore Heritage Projects Corporation.

Born and raised in Indianapolis, IN, JaKobi Burton is proud to be a product of Indianapolis Public Schools K-8. After graduating from North Central High School, he went on to acquire his Bachelor of Arts in Industrial and Mechanical Technology from Indiana State University.

After years of designing utility trucks for domestic and international customers, JaKobi has readjusted his focus to traverse a more personally fulfilling and rewarding career path. He is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University Bloomington while being a consultant for his first independent business venture, Enigmatic Enterprises Inc.  Utilizing the foundation in genealogical research he gained from Tonya Hull, he plans to offer fee-based services to help others gain knowledge about their ancestors.

In addition to enjoying nature, outdoor activities, movies, board games, and quality time with family and friends, JaKobi loves living in Avon with his partner, Crystal, and their two children and dog, Rocky.

David E. Dearing has been a member of IAAGG since 1995 and has given presentations on family history and genealogical research techniques at several IAAGG conferences and meetings. David is also a longtime member of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS), a national organization. He has attended the AAHGS national conference many times and twice presented research concerning his family’s history. David has published several articles on genealogy and is a former member of the Board of Editors of the AAHGS Journal. In addition, he is a member of Kentucky, Virginia, and Breckenridge County (Ky.) Historical Societies and the Bedford County (Va.) Museum and Genealogical Library. He is an attorney and currently serves as the IAAGG parliamentarian for several terms. 

My name is Marva J Crews. I am a member of the Light of the World Christian church. I retired from General Motors Corporation after working 33 years in various salaried positions. My genealogy research began some 25 plus years ago through family conversations and increased after joining Ancestry.com and perusing FamilySearch.org. I have been a member of the IAAGG for approximately (15) years. I have served as secretary, nominating chair, and parliamentarian. I am a member of the Tri-State Genealogical Society (IN-KYIL) as well as the Kentucky Historical Society. I am researching the surnames: Bowers, Hamilton, Rowan, and Pursley (maternal); White, Crimes, and West (paternal). The research includes southern Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri, and West Virginia.

Kamia is a Cincinnati native who began researching her ancestry in 2020, and it quickly became her passion.  She moved to Indianapolis in the early 90's where she raised her three children.  She had a twenty-five-year career in higher education and is currently a trainer for a financial investment company.  Kamia enjoys concerts, travel, reading, and her six grandchildren who keep her on the go!

I am a retired long-distance runner and software developer. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Certificate in Ecommerce development from IUPUI. I was also a design draftsman for over 10 years. I worked at Naval Avionics for 11 years and Sallie Mae for 9 years. I was honorably discharged from the United States Naval Reserves after 10 years of service as a data processing technician.

I was born and raised in Detroit, MI, and was active in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and a founding member of the Michigan Black Panther Party (BPP) back in the 1960s. I moved to Chicago in 1976 to become the Afro-American editor for the October Leagues’ Call Newspaper.

I have been a member of IAAGG since mid-2019 and have been an active genealogy researcher for over 25 years, off and on. I started out using the DOS version of Family Scrapbook, an excellent genealogy database program, and now use Family Tree Maker.

In particular, I am researching ancestors from Jamaica, Cuba, Virginia, Michigan, and Maryland. My goal is to validate my research with sources and prepare it for publication so that I can leave something behind for my descendants and relatives.