About Us

Our Heir Finders

We are privileged to have only the best and brightest in the industry working at HeirSearch. Our accomplished team brings passion and excellence to all that they do.

Laureen Janzen

Research Manager

Laureen’s background is in education and teaching, so it makes sense that she’s drawn to the stories she encounters through her work at HeirSearch. “We deal with so many complex and personal situations. It’s incredible to be able to make a difference in people’s lives.” She holds a Master’s degree in English and is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society, the Utah Genealogical Society, the Washington State Genealogical Society, and the British Columbia Genealogical Society.

Pandora Ferguson

Assistant Manager - Research Operations

Pandora uses skills honed by more than twenty years of writing and editing to help HeirSearch researchers create clear, concise reports for our clients and the courts. “Finding living heirs to estates is such a positive and rewarding service. Heirs may benefit financially, but they can also reconnect with family.” She has a Bachelor’s degree in English from UBC.

Dorothy Wood

Senior Researcher – Trainer and Testimony Specialist

Dorothy spent almost 20 years as an amateur genealogist before she began work with HeirSearch in 2000. She provides expert testimony as required by our clients, and is dedicated to ensuring client satisfaction. “No day here is ever the same. We’re a compassionate, caring firm who does a fantastic job to solve our clients’ problems.”

Melissa Kenny

Senior Researcher and DNA Specialist

Melissa holds Bachelor’s degrees in both Biology and Forensic Investigation, which come in handy for her work at HeirSearch. “A large part of my education included the study of DNA and genetics, which allows me to provide advice and facilitate possible DNA testing if required.” She has been with HeirSearch since 2016.

Sarah Sewell

Senior Researcher and Support Coordinator

Sarah’s background in historical research makes her somewhat uniquely qualified for her position with HeirSearch, but for her, the work is about more than solving complex cases and creating court reports. “The families we are researching are real people. I’m always impressed by the respect my colleagues have for heirs.” She holds a Bachelor’s degree in History and a Master’s degree in Military History.

Hanika Venzon

Senior Researcher

Hanika never expected to find herself working to locate missing heirs, but she’s been surprised to find out just how entertaining the work can be. “I can be quite a sleuth! I didn’t anticipate finding research this enjoyable, but the work we do is fascinating.” Hanika migrated to Canada from the Philippines, where she received her degree in International Politics from Ateneo de Manila University.

Kathy McCourt

Business Development Manager

If you’ve been to an industry conference, you’ve likely met Kathy. She has more than 20 years of sales and management experience but says that there’s something different about working with HeirSearch. “The standard of ethics and quality of the work is always excellent. At HeirSearch, it’s truly always about doing the right thing.” Kathy holds diplomas from BCIT and SAIT, and is also a certified Level 1 wine taster.

Barbara Tuomisto

Senior Key Account Manager

Born and raised in Montreal, Senior Key Account Manager Barbara Tuomisto has spent her entire working career with HeirSearch. Throughout that time, she says, one thing has remained constant: “We’ve never changed our approach or fee methodology.” Barbara is bilingual, and attended McGill University and the University of Toronto for Business.

Tim Adams

Senior Account Manager

Tim has been with HeirSearch since 2011 and is a frequent attendee at various estate planning and elder law conferences. He’s passionate about the stories behind the cases: “Everyone has a unique story in life.” Tim is originally from Toronto, but moved to Vancouver to work on the 2010 Olympics and ended up staying. He has an Economics degree from Carleton University.

Laura Jung

Senior Account Manager

As Senior Account Manager, Laura is often a client’s first point of contact when they come to HeirSearch. Her direct and transparent approach, built on more than 15 years of sales experience, makes her a natural fit for our team. Laura is currently attending SFU for her Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Business. Her advice? “You’re never too young to make an estate plan!”

Lorraine Hume

Account Manager

Lorraine’s work puts her in direct contact with many of our clients, so it’s lucky that she’s such a quick study. “I didn’t know this type of work existed before I started here, but I find it very easy to talk to our clients. Their stories are always interesting.” Lorraine came to HeirSearch via Ireland, where she received her degree in Social Studies and Social Care.

Moriah Myers

Sales Support Coordinator

Moriah has been with HeirSearch since 2015, bringing her solution-oriented skills to our diverse set of clients. She’s driven by helping people who feel like they’ve reached a dead end in their search: “Our work goes beyond solving our clients’ needs—we’ve helped countless families reunite or find answers they’ve worried about for years.”

Elizabeth Donaldson

Vice President Compliance and General Manager

Elizabeth brings over 18 years of experience as VP Compliance of an international financial asset management corporation. She is responsible for overseeing the administration and operation of the business, and ensuring full corporate compliance with industry-related regulatory laws. Her professional background includes business administration, compliance, operations, and psychology.

Suzanne Simpson

Vice President Sales and Marketing

Suzanne has worked for HeirSearch for more than 20 years, and she knows the difference that the company can make in a client’s life. “No matter the challenge, we’ve seen it before. We work in partnership with our clients to provide them with the results they need in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible.” Her commitment to our A Better Way™ philosophy has made HeirSearch the industry’s premier heir search firm.

D. Randall (Randy) White

Vice President Research

Randy started as an HeirSearch researcher in 1982 and is now a core member of the management team. He’s passionate about providing high-quality results to our clients, and his depth of experience allows him to provide insights from any angle. Randy’s excited about the future of forensic genealogy: “As the landscape evolves, we’re able to leverage new tools like DNA analysis to bring clients the results they need.”

Lilian Ling

Comptroller

Lilian Ling, CPA, CGA has spent almost 30 years in the financial and accounting fields, and has been HeirSearch’s Comptroller since 2009. Previously, she worked for KPMG as a Senior Accountant for over 11 years. “I work with the leadership team to help turn numbers into action.”

Carlos Berea

Marketing Director

Carlos has worked with HeirSearch since 2004, and holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Business Administration. He takes pride in HeirSearch’s key differentiating factor: “We’ve always been adamant about being responsible and putting ourselves in the missing heir’s shoes. We really care about the heirs and about our clients.”

Naeem Ahmed

Senior Business Analyst and IT Manager

Naeem has been with HeirSearch since 2001 and finds great satisfaction in helping the team do their jobs better and faster through his behind-the-scenes CRM management. He has a university degree in applied sciences, a diploma in Computer Information Systems, and the uncanny ability to translate technical language into plain English.

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