Volunteers of the Month – February 2023

Kenan Padgett

This month’s Research Volunteer of the month is Kenan Padgett. Originally from North Carolina and currently living in Memphis, TN, you may have overlooked our research librarian if you blinked.  Often quiet and content to sit back and observe, Kenan has a wicked sense of humor.  Who else would name their dogs “Kudzu” and “The Reverend”?

She came to DNAngels to help a client of Kate Penney Howard’s. “I’m so glad she stayed on to do research. She has an amazing sense of humor, and she’s such a talented researcher. We are so glad to have her as a researcher, and I’m so glad to have her as a friend.” says Kate, our Director of Human Resources. Associate Director Kelly Grace agrees, “Kenan is an AMAZING researcher, and I dearly want to visit her in Memphis and steal her card catalogues! I’m always pleased to see when she has been assigned to a case I’m working on!”

When asked for a quote, Research Team Lead Ashlee Krump had this to say, “How Do You Summarize Awesomeness? How do you use words to evoke the spirit and triumph of individuals who are beyond summarization? I don’t know. So when Kenan.  was suggested as VoM, all I could say, in all capital letters, was “YESSSS!!!” And Case Manager Rachel Kiley Trout said, “Whenever I see that I will be working with Kenan.  on a case, a huge smile comes across my face. She has one of the best senses of humor I’ve seen. She never fails to make me laugh with her perspective and phrasing. One look at her Amazon reviews will give you an idea. It is such a pleasure to wake up and wonder what gems will be in our message thread today when we’re on a case together.’

Kim Sklar Reichelt

Not a lot of people know Kim, but I can tell you. She is AWESOME. I think I learned as much from her during her time as an apprentice Angel as she did from me. She’s incredibly smart and caring.  She came up through research incredibly fast. Research Team Lead Ashlee Krump said, “Kim has been a very motivated team member from the start! She came in wanting to learn and wanting to work, and that tenacity hasn’t waned one bit since! She always gives her all and doesn’t back down from a challenge.”

Director of Human Resources Kate Penney Howard says, “Kim Sklar Reichalt has been really helpful to me as a researcher. She is diligent and turns up amazing finds.”    Executive Director and Founder Laura Olmsted said, “I have only worked with Kim a couple of times and enjoyed her ability to get me what I needed in a timely manner and with professionalism.”  Case Manager Rachel Kiley Trout said, “ I first met Kim when I was Assistant Team Lead in Research. She impressed me within the first 15 minutes of working together. She eagerly expressed a desire to assist on more cases as soon as possible. I remember telling her that she was so skilled already that I doubted whether she would still even be in Research by the time I rotated through working with each of our other researchers to get back to her; and she wasn’t. She was nominated for Angel Apprentice within a couple of weeks and quickly earned her Search Angel wings.”

Kim hails from Massachusetts, where she received her Master’s in System Management from MIT. Due to the mysteries in her own family tree, Kim has gained exceptional skills in Jewish genealogy.