Alexis Hacker Scholz fell in love with genealogy while sitting at the feet of her Great-Aunt Bess, guardian and storyteller of her maternal family lore. Raised in a military family, Alexis has lived throughout the United States as well as in Turkey. Her career in information has included newspapers, magazines, technical writing, and the internet. When not researching or writing, you can find her in the garden, the kitchen, or project room, and always with a book and her animals at hand. She currently serves as vice president for the South King County Genealogical Society.

Melanie Hinds has been a member of SKCGS for several years, and has been on the SKCGS Board as Secretary for the last 2 years. Melanie lives in Illinois but has an ancestor who spent some time in Washington Territory in the mid-1850s. She enjoys spending time researching the females in the family tree, whose lives and accomplishments often get forgotten in history.