Johni Cerny(1943-2020)
- Additional Crew
Johni Cerny is a professional genealogist and family historian who
first began her career in 1979. She founded Lineages, Inc. in 1983,
left the firm in 2005 and returned as the company's President and CEO
in 2011. Between 2005 and 2012, she was the lead genealogist for
several television series that have aired on PBS, including African
American Lives 1 & 2, Faces of America and Finding Your Roots, which
will begin airing on PBS in March, 2012. Those productions were under
the direction of her dear friend and Executive Producer, Dr. Henry
Louis Gates, Jr., Kunhardt-McGee Productions, Ark Media and Inkwell
Films. She's been the family historian of choice of nearly 100 famous
Americans. Johni specializes in tracing American, African American,
English, Scottish, German, Slovakian, Swiss and Italian ancestors.
Johni grew-up in her native Kansas City, Missouri and Los Angeles. She
graduated from Van Nuys High School and Brigham Young University with
majors in Genealogy and Social Work. Unable to make a living as a
genealogist before "Roots" exploded on paper and television, she served
on active duty in the United States Army from 1972 to 1979 and inactive
duty from 1979-1983. Reaching the rank of Captain, she spent her last
tour in Germany as the first female commander of a forward support
unit. She returned to Utah in 1979 to live her dream by launching
Lineages, Inc. Johni lives and works in Draper, Utah.