OUR HERITAGE, OUR PASSION

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Our Team

Our professionals are some of the most experienced in the business. Many other Italian genealogy research firms, Italian dual citizenship companies, professional Italian genealogists, and military and governmental agencies contact us for high quality research work. We have a reputation of being the firm that is able to find Italian records that other firms cannot locate.

As an Italian-American, Melanie brings her love of family and her Italian ancestry to every research project. She understands what it means to find your ancestors and reconnect with lost parts of your history. This is why she chose to name her business after her immigrating ancestor, Antonio Lo Schiavo.

Outstanding service, great teamwork, and excellent care throughout the process!
Joan A. - Former Client

Schedule your free discovery call today and speak with our owner to find out how Lo Schiavo Genealogica can work with you on your Italian genealogy research or help you secure your Italian dual citizenship.

MELANIE D. HOLTZ  (Owner and COO)

Melanie is the owner and principal researcher of Lo Schiavo Genealogica, LLC. She is an experienced professional genealogist specializing in Italian genealogy and reclaiming Italian citizenship via jure sanguinis.

Melanie has more than 20 years experience in Italian genealogical research and Italian dual citizenship. She lectures on Italian research, Italian dual citizenship, professional development, and genealogical standards. She’s prepared courses and articles on Italian research for Family Tree University, the National Institute of Genealogical Research, Family Tree Magazine, Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research, and a variety of other organizations.

Our Team

COREY OIESEN
Citizenship Team
Leader
RAFFAELLA GEROLA
Onsite Citizenship
Team Leader
MICHELE GIOVE
Italian Research
Specialist
PAOLO VENTURINI
Italian Genealogy
Team Leader
LUCIA CUSIMANO
Research/Italian Citizenship
LISA BOEHM
Virtual
Assistant
Gina Carpinito
GINA CARPINITO
Italian Citizenship Specialist
VIRGINIA CHERULLO
Italian Citizenship Specialist
ASHE LYON
Italian Citizenship Specialist
DENNISE M. KOWALCZYK
Digital Media
Manager
RAMONA NICHOLS
Web
Manager

USE OF CONTRACTORS

Lo Schiavo Genealogica, LLC also uses subcontractors around the world to access some of the more unusual archives, help manage a client’s project expenses and enable research projects to move along more quickly. These researchers are chosen from lists of professional researchers maintained by such organizations as the Association of Professional Genealogists, the Board for Certification of Genealogists, and the Council for the Advancement of Forensic Genealogy.

Start Your Journey

FREE DISCOVERY CALL

MELANIE D. HOLTZ

Experienced Professional Genealogist and Owner

Contact Us (U.S.)

Contact Us (Italy)

  • Via Domenico Carpinoni, 4
  • Clusone (BG) 24023
    (Postal Address Only)
    LoSchiavoGenealogica@pec.it
    (pec email for Italian municipal use only)

Ⓒ 2021 - Lo Schiavo Genealogica, LLC - All Rights Are Reserved

Credits

Corey Gerola was born in Milano. After graduating from high school, she enrolled in the Silvio Pellico School for Interpreters and Translators and graduated with honors. Her more than 30 years experience and commitment in the field of translation and interpreting has led her to tackle first the electrotechnical sector and then her passions , namely art, archaeology, and modern history, both as a translator and a linguistic collaborator during various international conferences. For about six years, she has lived and worked in Parre, in the upper Seriana Valley (Bergamo province), an area that she and her family have enjoyed since she was a child.Corey is a professional genealogist with experience in Italian, French, U.S., and Canadian research. She earned an M.B.A. in international business from Georgia State University and a B.A. in international studies/French from Virginia Tech University. Corey holds certificates in genealogical studies from Boston University and Monterey Peninsula College and has completed the Excelsior University practicum in genealogical research. She completed the ProGen Study Group, an 18-month intensive study of the book Professional Genealogy.
Corey has worked with Lo Schiavo Genealogica since 2013 and manages the firm’s dual citizenship program. She enjoys helping clients throughout the dual citizenship process, both through the consulates in the U.S. and onsite in Italy. She is passionate about resolving challenging issues with client documents. In her spare time, she runs an Italian language conversation group in her town. She is a former board member of the Association of Professional Genealogists.
Meet Corey!
Raffaella Gerola was born in Milano. After graduating from high school, she enrolled in the Silvio Pellico School for Interpreters and Translators and graduated with honors. Her more than 30 years experience and commitment in the field of translation and interpreting has led her to tackle first the electrotechnical sector and then her passions , namely art, archaeology, and modern history, both as a translator and a linguistic collaborator during various international conferences. For about six years, she has lived and worked in Parre, in the upper Seriana Valley (Bergamo province), an area that she and her family have enjoyed since she was a child.
Meet Raffaella!
Michele joined the team in 2010 and has extensive experience in researching all types of Italian records. He manages our Italian office and handles the majority of the onsite research in Italy. Michele maintains a type of certification that allows him access to certain types of parish collections only available to professional scholars and those with this certification. This can be a valuable asset to our clients, as it often enables us to accomplish more for our clients then other research firms. Michele works exclusively with Lo Schiavo Genealogica, LLC and can communicate in several different languages.
Paolo was born in Tarquinia, north of Rome, and now lives and works in Milano, Italia. After his receiving a degree in Classical Studies and an MOA in Electronic Engineering, Paolo worked in key international management positions for main Industrial Automation companies. In parallel, he developed an interest in genealogy and family history, collecting a large amount of facts, memories, pictures and documents around his family and other’s. He has helped many people building their family trees, identifying well over 8,000 ancestors and digging out more than 20,000 documents related to their family history which spans more than 10 generations. Paolo used some of this data for a few “investigative stories” he wrote on the most interesting characters he found in his quest.
Paolo has facilitated an international team of four in a two-year project to create the family tree of some interconnected families from Castiglione Messer Marino, in Abruzzo, starting from the year 1690. This has included copying a few hundred parish documents, “unravelling” the data, and building a GEDCOM database. He has utilized DNA techniques to resolve dubious family links including: DNA triangulation, clustering, Lazarus, tracking of mt-DNA and X-DNA. Paolo is fluent in Italian, English and French, and can translate documents from Latin.
Lucia Cusimano is a first-generation Italian American; she is Sicilian and Abruzzese.  Her parents were the quintessential Italian immigrants who worked hard, lived simply, and loved family. They always spoke of and shared stories of their Palermo and Abruzzo, and of course of their families. Lucia grew up a genealogist without even knowing it, as she asked them so many questions, and kept track of aunts, uncles, cousins, ages, what they did and where they were from. The family tree was a lifelong venture, and she finally visited her Italian family, and researched there in 2007 and 2019; and of course, plans to return.
Lucia holds a certificate in genealogical studies from Boston University, completed the 2020/2021 ProGen Study Group, an intensive fourteen-month study of Professional Genealogy, and has attended genealogical institutes, classes and webinars, focusing on traditional and Italian research.  She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), the New England Chapter, along with other local and Italian genealogical groups. In March 2022 she retired after 33 years of service as a police/fire Supervisor /dispatcher and brings those skills to her research with LoSchiavo. She is new to the LoSchiavo Genealogica Team and hopes to play an integral part in helping clients reach their goal of Italian citizenship and reunite them with their roots.
Lisa Boehm grew up in Massachusetts, where she attended the University of Massachusetts in Lowell. She first contacted Lo Schiavo Genealogica as a client, looking to learn more about her own ancestry. The project gradually grew from information, into a journey to gain dual citizenship. Lisa is currently living in Clusone, in Italy, while pursuing this goal.  She joined Lo Schiavo in the Spring of 2022 because, as she says, “This experience has changed my life. I can’t think of anything I’d love more than to help others change their lives as well”
Gina is of Italian origin and holds a B.A. in psychology and a doctorate in pharmacy. In addition to managing an independent pharmacy for many years, she has also done research and teaching in pharmacy at her local university. She speaks Italian and some French, and served as the editor-in-chief of her college newspaper. Her diverse background provides her with a unique perspective to approach genealogy. In 2016, after years of informal research for friends and family, she became more serious about genealogy through a group at her local genealogy library, which led to a second career. She deeply values knowing her own family story and traditions and wishes for everyone to have that opportunity. She looks forward to helping you on your own journey.
Virginia was born and raised in Genova, Italy. She has always been passionate about genealogy and law, she attended the Facolta’ di Giurisprudenza in Genova for three years. She moved to the US in her early 20s and soon approached the Italian Dual Citizenship job and she has worked in the same environment since then. She really enjoys helping clients during the citizenship process and reconnecting them with their Italian roots. Virginia is a new member of the team Lo Schiavo Genealogica and she is keen on this opportunity. “The best part of my job,” Virginia said “is receiving the picture from the client with their Italian passport and a smiling face”.
With a lifelong interest in history and travel, Ashe began her genealogy journey while working on her own Italian dual citizenship. She now splits her time between the U.S. and southern Italy, where she lives in Puglia. Her unique background in communications and project management support her approach to working on each genealogy case and she is passionate about helping clients with their citizenship process and enjoys supporting them on their unique journey. When not researching and working on geneology, she enjoys exploring Puglia’s antique markets and working on her Italian. 
Dennise of CTD Creative Consulting manages all of our digital presence. She combines her years of experience in communications and workflow systems development to help us build a community and connect with the people we wish to serve. She is a huge fan of positive psychology and good ole hard work. The combination makes her a pragmatic optimist who is excited to help others make their digital mark in the world. She is a digital media navigator and believes in the importance of keeping the social in media.
Ramona is the owner of Inspired Creatives Studio, an agency that helps small businesses realize their dreams by handcrafting marketing solutions that deliver big agency results to the small business owners. She has been providing expert care to her clients since 2012 with web design, graphic design, and training services. 
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