Monia Pezzi
This month’s first volunteer of the month is our “Adoption Queen” Monia Pezzi. It’s no secret that Monia’s favorite type of case is adoptions, and she is excellent at solving them. “Don’t be fooled by Monia’s soft-spoken manner”, says Founder and Executive Director, Laura Olmsted, “She knows her field of study as a genetic genealogist and gets the job done for clients time after time. She took on a leadership role when we had an opening and ran with it. She is one of our best trainers when a new Angel is being onboarded. I can’t wait to see what the next year brings for her!’
Monia lives in the Northern California mountains with her 4 children – 3 daughters and a son – close by. She is proud of her Scottish Heritage as a member of Clan MacBean, which calls the Scottish Highlands home. As a fun side note, Monia is related to Judge Roy Bean or “The Only Law West of the Pecos”. Monia is her family historian and got her to start solving family mysteries by identifing her late husband’s birth family.
“Monia was a part of Team Laura back in the day,” says Associate Director of Staffing, Aimee Rose Haynes, “when she was handed the reigns of a team lead, she worked well with her team and was always open to feedback to make her team stronger.” Assistant Team Lead, Heidi Billingsley Keuper says, ‘I had the honor to get to know Monia better when I became her Team Lead assistant. We have had amazing conversations and she has proven herself to be a trusted friend. She is an amazing Angel and has such intuition when it comes to solving cases. She is a Team Player that always jumps in to share her knowledge and a helping hand. I am proud to call her a colleague and friend.” Assistant Team Lead, Kat Cunningham agrees, “Monia is friendly and always ready to help or take care of whatever needs to be done.” Associate Director of Administration, Kelly Grace describes her as “meticulous and thorough in her work” and “patient and empathetic” with the clients.
Monia has been with DNAngels since December 2020 and has proven time and time again to be a calm and steady presence. Her naturally giving nature makes her a favorite Angel among her clients. Monia also loves quilting, reading, and breeding and raising Australian Shepards.
Ashlee Krump
Research Team Lead Ashlee Krump is our other Volunteer of the Month! “What a firecracker! She is such a pleasure to watch. I have seen her grow over the last few months to be a true leader in her department of researchers. She leads by example and doesn’t ask anyone to do what she isn’t willing to do herself. She is patient and kind and always willing to jump in wherever needed. It’s been my honor to work with Ashlee,” says Founder and Executive Director, Laura Olmsted. “Ashlee is a great asset to the DNAngels family. I have seen her offer to pick up numerous tasks when others need a helping hand. She is a great communicator and maintains a level head in more stressful situations. I consider myself lucky to work alongside her”, says her Assistant Team Lead Rachel Kiley Trout.
Ashlee lives in Oregon, with her husband and 4 children, her dog Rocket, 2 rabbits, a baby tortoise, and the Turtle who has had her husband’s affection longer than she has. (43 years!) Ashlee is BUSY! As if the small zoo in her household and DNAngels don’t keep her busy enough, she also volunteers for a rabbit rescue, as a CASA volunteer for foster children, and repairs cameras, and old sewing machines… Whatever needs fixing, Ashlee’s on it. “Ashlee has A LOT of energy,” says Assistant Team Lead Kat Cunningham, to which Associate Director of Administration, Kelly Grace adds, “just thinking about all she manages to do makes me tired! But really, if I need something done, I know I can ask Ashlee and she’ll jump in with both feet and help.” Intake Team Lead, Enjoli DeLeon says, “Ashlee is such a great addition to the team! She never hesitates to step in and help if asked and she is constantly looking to learn!” Associate Director of Staffing, Aimee Rose Haynes said, “Ashlee has been a go-getter from the start, she has helped grow our research team to an amazing, strong, and organized force of nature!”
Ashlee started out helping her husband uncover the mystery of his biological father, then volunteered as an Intake Specialist, while learning to solve cases on her own. She has taken over the Research Department, which not only helps Angels with identifing information like obituaries, phone numbers, and other tidbits of information on clients but also prepares them to work as Angels.
All She Wants for Christmas
