Pam Lauritzen brings 25 years of leadership experience to her role at Compass. By starting in support roles with every organization on her resume, Pam developed expertise across all aspects of nonprofit management and is generally known to have strong opinions about absolutely everything from finance to messaging and from graphic design to governance. 

A strategic thinker with the big picture always in mind, Pam is a detail-oriented, hands-on manager who knows exactly what she’s asking of her team because she’s done it herself. Pam proudly calls herself a “data whisperer,” often diving so deep into analytics and reporting that she forgets to eat. She becomes giddy at the prospect of writing procedures and designing processes. 

Communications work comes naturally to Pam, who started telling stories at age 12 and never stopped. She is a published novelist and accomplished photographer. Applying her love of words and images to marketing for nonprofits has always felt like the most natural extension of those skills into Pam’s professional life. She is experienced in brand development, social media, and fundraising messaging.

With a strong focus on collaboration across organizations and bringing stakeholders together around a shared mission, Pam facilitates connections that advance the use of investigative genetic genealogy to resolve cases. Much more importantly, though, Pam knows that storytelling must deepen public understanding of the power of IGG to bring resolution to the families of unidentified missing persons.

Whitney St. Andre is a credentialed advocate with over six years of experience in victim and family advocacy, supporting families navigating missing and unresolved cases. She specializes in ethical, trauma-informed advocacy, with a focus on empowering families through education, structured support, and meaningful engagement.

In addition to her work with Compass IGG & Advocacy, Whitney serves as Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of AdvocacyCon, a national conference dedicated to connecting families, professionals, and organizations. She is also the co-creator of The Advocacy Blueprint and co-host of the Navigating Advocacy podcast, where she promotes advocacy-based, victim-centered practices to raise awareness for families of the missing and unresolved.

Whitney is deeply committed to ensuring families feel informed, supported, and respected, and to strengthening the connection between advocacy, education, and identification efforts.

Marselles Jefferson is an Information Security and IT Operations professional specializing in vulnerability management, access control governance, and security policy development. With experience across federal, defense, and international environments, he focuses on turning complex security frameworks into structured, operational systems that reduce risk and improve accountability .

At Compass IGG & Advocacy, Marselles is building the organization’s IT and security foundation from the ground up—designing secure cloud infrastructure, implementing identity and access management, and developing policies to safeguard sensitive genetic and personal data. His approach prioritizes control, auditability, and long-term resilience, ensuring security is embedded into operations rather than treated as an afterthought.

Rebecca Solomon studied sociology out of a desire to spend her career as a “helper”.  Life had other plans and for years she had to exchange her desire to make a difference with her need for financial stability.  After many years of hospitality and administrative management, she stumbled into a role at a small non profit where her love for mission-driven work was re-ignited and she was able to build her financial skills under an experienced mentor. It was there that she discovered both a passion and an aptitude for finance and the ability to make a difference by managing the details behind the scenes.

Now, with over a decade of nonprofit finance experience behind her — including building the financial systems and infrastructure for the NYS Police Investigators Foundation entirely from scratch and supporting over a million dollars in fundraising — Rebecca has found exactly the intersection she was working toward. The ability to be a force for good without having to be the one on the front lines. All those years in support roles, learning organizations from the inside out, combined with genuine financial expertise, led her to this opportunity to help shape the foundation on which Compass will grow and thrive.

She is genuinely inspired by Compass’s commitment to bringing together identification, advocacy, and compassionate support for families who have been waiting far too long for answers.

Dr. Matt Hoggatt, Ph.D. is a retired law enforcement officer and professor of criminal justice and criminology from the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Dr. Hoggatt began his law enforcement career in 1999 as a patrol officer before eventually rising to the rank of felony investigator where he served for the majority of his career.

In 2020, Dr. Hoggatt began to focus on cold case investigations involving unidentified human remains and missing persons cases, augmented by the use of Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG). His work contributed to the resolution of numerous cases within the state of Mississippi, including the identification of Clara Birdlong, a probable victim of serial killer Samuel Little. Dr. Hoggatt has served as a consultant for a variety of organizations including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the DNA Doe Project and Moxxy Forensics. 

In 2025, Dr. Hoggatt’s Ph.D. dissertation entitled: “Exploring How People Become Investigative Genetic Genealogists Who Assist With Law Enforcement Investigations: A Multiple Case Study”, was published in effort to help illuminate the various pathways people take to become IGG practitioners. Dr. Hoggatt is committed to the mission of advocacy within the field of criminal justice, and improving the bridge of communication between law enforcement and victims.

April Hugie has spent her career at the intersection of science and justice. With a background spanning forensic serology, DNA analysis, crime scene investigation, and medicolegal death work, she brings both technical depth and real-world investigative experience to every case.

She has examined evidence, interpreted complex DNA profiles, testified in court, and stood in the rooms where families receive the worst news of their lives. Today she channels that experience into forensic genetic genealogy — one of the most powerful tools in modern investigative science — driven by a deep passion for solving missing persons cases and giving names back to unidentified human remains.

She holds an M.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a concentration in Forensic DNA and Serology and a B.S. in Biology, and is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Misty Gillis is a well known, remarkably skilled Investigative Genetic Genealogist who has been practicing professionally in the field for over seven years. She brings with her decades of traditional genealogy and genetic genealogy experience as well as a wealth of knowledge to support agencies in their IGG investigations.

Misty has generated positive leads in over 50 IGG cases nationwide, educated agencies through meticulous report writing and debriefings, and in her spare time, she assists adoptees with identifying their biological parents using autosomal DNA results.

During her time in the IGG field, she’s become proficient with Case Management, working alongside agencies to find the best fit solution for their individual case needs, as well as creating invaluable relationships with agencies nationwide.

Misty looks most forward to supporting our agencies, volunteers, and developing crucial relationships that help bridge the gap from unknown, to known.

Abigail Bemer serves as the Director of Institutional Advancement at Compass IGG & Advocacy, where she leads efforts to grow and strengthen the organization’s fundraising through major gifts, grants, corporate partnerships, and donor engagement.

She brings several years of nonprofit development experience, having previously worked with Blood Cancer United and Open Minds. Throughout her career, Abigail has built lasting relationships with donors, secured funding through grants and sponsorships, managed fundraising campaigns, and helped organizations strengthen their development operations and outreach. She is passionate about connecting people with causes they care about and believes that meaningful relationships are at the heart of successful fundraising.

Abigail is excited to be part of Compass and is inspired by the organization’s commitment to bringing hope, advocacy, and answers to families of the long-term missing. She is proud to help advance a mission that makes a lasting difference in the lives of others.