A physician by profession, Founder and President of the Council of Native Caribbean Heritage (C.O.N.C.H), Juan Ramon Aviles Morales is passionate about working with the indigenous Caribbean communities to bring awareness to their existence, cultures, and languages. Juan traces his Caribbean roots to the Taino Nation. He is an enrolled member of Guainia Taino of the US Virgin Islands, recognized by the government of the US territory. He has been committed to reviving the Taino language through research interests that include but are not limited to indigenous cultural-linguistic revitalization, community self-improvement, and revival of the Taino Nation culture.

A firm believer in continuous learning and development, Juan holds a BA in Forensic Psychology, a Master of Science in Biology, and a Doctor of Medicine. He has also taken many courses in molecular genetics that have enabled him to better understand complex concepts in Genetic genealogy. As a physician for more than 14 years, Juan is proud to have incorporated traditional healing practices into modern medicine to help save lives and set the tempo for his strong team work ethic.

In his pursuit of federal recognition of the Taino Nation, Juan founded Taino DNA & Genealogy in 2019. However, the need to serve the Caribbean communities and bring more inclusivity led to the birth of C.O.N.C.H., a non-profit genealogical society representing the Caribbean heritage of the First Nations of the Caribbean. C.O.N.C.H provides an online resource platform for intertribal exchanges and learning about indigenous communities. It also seeks to increase dialogue between the various communities from the Caribbean Islands and Central American countries to the countries on the north of South America.

Through the C.O.N.C.H., Juan has brought awareness to the Native Caribbean identity. C.O.N.C.H provides opportunities to help communities that they serve to encourage the youth to pursue a college degree. It also offers grants to support the communities with projects promoting self-sustaining agricultural practices.

A strong team player, Juan has worked with indigenous communities, the Cabécar, and the Bribri, from which he has supported 4 young adults to pursue a college degree, fully funding their education. He has also assisted a traditional healer (Curandero) and leveraged his expertise in modern and traditional medicine to train the next generation of healers. Further, Juan had the unique opportunity of arranging for researchers from Harvard that had sequenced the DNA of ancient remains that pertained to the Taino community to present the findings to representatives of the Taino community. This opportunity led to an interview with a New York Times reporter on the Harvard research article as it pertained to the modern descendants of the Taino, "Ancient DNA Shows Humans Settled Caribbean in 2 Distinct Waves".

Gerald Gerald Alexander Lopez Castellanos, a tech enthusiast who lives and breathes in the tech world, has a spirit in family, roots, and genealogy. He is a decade-long researcher, avid historian, and genetic genealogist who looks for continuous ways to bridge the past and the present in order for us to understand ourselves better. Though hailing from the northeast of the Dominican Republic, Gerald is also seasoned by the streets of the northeast United States.

He is an active genetic genealogist with his own consulting firm, Busca Family, where he hopes to help others make connections with their family and ancestors. Additionally, in another wing, he is a traditional drummer of Dominican Palo traditions, as well as an avid musician in other Afro-Caribbean spaces. Bridging technology, history, and genetic genealogy, he hopes to be able to scientifically reconstruct his and others' family tradition of native heritage that has been passed down orally for generations.

As As the newly appointed Vice President representing Cuba for the Council of Native Caribbean Heritage (C.O.N.C.H), Linda Maria Ruiz de Zarate Y Ramirez Smith, an Executive Administrative Assistant and Human Resources Associate for 20+ years, is eager to learn more about working with the indigenous Caribbean communities and bring awareness to their existence, cultures, and languages. Linda recently traced her own Caribbean roots to the Taino Nation and is committed to helping the Council of Native Caribbean Heritage revive the Taino Nation culture.

In 2005, after the death of her mother, Linda began her family tree project but wasn’t very successful. In 2021, Linda took her first DNA test and that is where she discovered her Taino ancestry, along with many other surprises that were not part of the oral history she was told as a young girl. With this new discovery, Linda has had a renewed interest in completing her family tree and finding any documentation to link her to the Taino nation. With the help of Dr. Juan Aviles Morales, Linda will be visiting Cuba for the first time in 2023 and hopes to connect with her Cuban Taino family.

Levixon Levixon Lundi was born on June 8, 1987, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He is the first son of Emma Augustin and Osnel Lundi in a family of ten children. He has three brothers and six sisters; he lost two brothers and two sisters in a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, leaving its capital Port-au-Prince devastated. He was saved by God because he was at his university where he was studying Diplomatics Science. Afterward, he went to Heritage Baptist Bible Institute in 2011 to study theology to thank God for saving his life and the lives of his surviving family members; he now has a master’s degree in Theology.

Levixon pursued Medical School to study Medicine. When he realized his family couldn't help him, he left the field of Medicine to work in construction, helping his family while taking care of his brother and four sisters. After rebuilding a house for his mother, he came back to study Diplomatic Sciences in 2015. By 2017, he had already been teaching Natural Science in many Haitian schools and universities.

In 2019, Levixon and his wife, Samira P.I.M. Lundi, became the proud parents of a lovely boy, Christ-Angel Sam Oliver Lundi. Levixon currently teaches to support his own new growing family and is the co-founder of Theophany University, providing an internationally minded, blended, enhanced education that is equally accessible to promote understanding, tolerance, and friendship among all nations, as well as racial and non-secular groups. You can visit Theophany University online at theophanyuniversity.edu.ht.

Levixon believes that progress and change are necessary for his country; he was a young minister in a government program to promote democracy in Haiti. Currently, he is a member of L’Observatoire Citoyen pour l’Institutionnalisation de la Démocratie (OCID), an organization working to promote democracy in Haiti. in 2020, he met with Dr. Juan Aviles of the Taino DNA and Genealogy organization, CONCH, to research the Taino DNA in Haiti and create a council of Taino in Haiti.

A native of Puerto Rico, Marangeli (Angie) Osoria’s enthusiasm for family history and genealogy grew from a desire to discover the details of her ancestors’ lives. After an autosomal DNA test revealed that she had an estimated ethnicity of 21% Indigenous Puerto Rico, she was compelled to explore her Taino origins. She has a keen interest in genetic genealogy, family history, creating family trees, and researching Caribbean indigenous ancestry. Consequently, she is a member and an active contributor to the Council of Native Caribbean Heritage and assisted with the development of the Taino archive which will help others in learning more about and documenting their Taino ancestry. She is also a member of the National Genealogical Society (NGS) and the Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Genealogía (SPG) and aspires to become a certified genealogist (CG) from the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG).

In addition, Angie has worked as a Research Biologist in the federal sector for the past 20+ years. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree along with a Spanish minor from Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, PA. Her laboratory research has resulted in several co-authored peer-reviewed scientific publications. She is a Board Member of the Community Academy of Philadelphia Charter School (CAP). The school, formerly known as Community High School, is her alma mater. Angie also earned a Proofreading and Copyediting Course Completion Certificate from Universal Class Inc., an authorized IACET provider.

I was born in Brooklyn, New York, to two Puerto Rican parents. I developed an interest in genealogy in early childhood, fascinated by my family’s stories of Puerto Rico and proud of the indigenous heritage passed down to me by my grandparents. As a teenager, I took a World History course and was surprised to find that the textbook mentioned the Taino. It was the first time I learned that my ancestors were the first people to greet Christopher Columbus.

The textbook, over seven hundred pages long, dedicated a short paragraph to the encounter and described the Taino as a 'simple people' who were massacred and exterminated by the Spanish. Reading this changed the trajectory of my life. In the thirteen years since that moment, I have been unrelenting in my pursuit of indigenous histories and narratives that counteract this massive historical erasure and paper genocide. This pursuit has ultimately led to my position as the co-director of the CONCH Taino Mestizo Archive.

I am also in the process of completing an English Literature degree at Berea College, where I am a teaching assistant for the department and participate in Digital Humanities research. I assisted Dr. Megan Feifer in the creation of a digital archive for the late bell hooks, an internationally renowned Black feminist. Future plans include attaining my MLIS and continuing to participate in genealogical research related to Puerto Rico and the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean.

I have a Bachelor in Science (BS) degree in Foods & Nutrition from Barry University; dietetic internship degree (RD) from Charity Hospital in New Orleans, and a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration (MHA) from the University of La Verne, California, and certification as Leap Therapist (CLT) from Oxford Labs. I received an award as Distinguished Member by Dietetics in Healthcare Communities, and am a Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics (FAND). I hold lifetime teaching credentials for the California Community Colleges and a lifetime test administrator for the National Registry of Foodservice Professionals. As a dietitian, I specialize in recipe development, food safety, sanitation, and project management using experience gained working in middle and senior management in public and private long-term care companies. As a teacher and trainer, I provide instruction in food preparation methods, food safety and recipe development, and have supervised & been preceptor to dietetic interns, medical students, and foodservice managers. My professional presentations include annual seminars and webinars to the general public and healthcare professionals including one at The White House Conference on Aging.

As president of Cassens Associates - Diversified Nutrition Management Systems, a micro-company, I have published 19 books on the topics of cookbooks, training, procedural, and nutrition, and multiple articles, and conducted seminars and webinars for healthcare professionals continuing education. I believe in locally sourced food and every recipe prepared in my kitchen is my own creation, using locally sourced, or home-grown fresh ingredients. Because I am Puertorrican, my food is seasoned using Puertorrican flavors, and because I am a dietitian, it is always heart healthy. My free time is spent tending to my trees and gardens and in efforts to improve the ecosystem. I care for my rescued dogs, water turtles and frogs, and make efforts to participate in preserving the High Desert clean by picking up trash. I am writing my own story, to preserve my ancestor’s history for the younger generations. In addition to genealogy, my passion, my hobbies include developing recipes, cooking, painting, and writing.

As a genealogist, I started building my tree using a yellow pad, ruler, and pencil at 11 years of age, interviewing my grandparents and their siblings, my aunts and uncles, and any family friends that could add to their story. I am preserving my family history, documenting 11 generations of ancestors and plan to publish maternal and paternal ancestors’ books documenting my ancestors and their history. I am also writing my story. Since I have 6% Native Puerto Rican in my DNA, I participate as a genealogy advisor in the Council of Native Caribbean Heritage (C.O.N.C.H.) Taino Mestizo organization, as well as researching more about the Taínos in Puerto Rico and my native heritage.

Richard Richard Smith is an alumnus of the State University of New York where he graduated with a degree in Visual Art and Communication. It was during his final year in college that he met the love of his life, Linda, who, as it turns out, recently discovered she is Cuban Taino; the synchronicity of life abounds. As an author, speaker, graphic artist, and content creator, Richard has utilized his skills as a human origins advocate since the early nineties, which includes a wide spectrum of topics ranging from ancient astronauts and official first contact to human rights and cultural genocide. As the founder of 11:22 Creative, he brings 20 years of graphic design and customer relations experience, which means you get the communication, understanding, and perspective you've been looking for.

Richard is an elected member of the Arts Commission for the City of Rio Rancho (District 2) and serves on the executive committee for the New Mexico UFO and Paranormal Forum. Richard and Linda cofounded The Human Origins Foundation, a nonprofit for research programs and events focusing on the dynamic scope of our human origins here on Earth, the human condition, and our interstellar origins throughout the cosmos. As the published author of a successful book series, he has been speaking locally and internationally at author events, interviews, lectures, and conferences since the nineties. In his spare time, he focuses on writing his next book in the series. He currently resides in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, with his wife Linda.