Speakers

Pascale Achille is an Assistant State Attorney in the 17th Judicial Circuit in Broward County, Florida. She has worked as an Assistant State Attorney for twelve years and eight years of her career as a civil attorney handling federal and state matters. Ms. Achille drafted appellate briefs and argued before the Second and Fifth District Courts of Appeal while in civil practice. During her tenure as an Assistant State Attorney, she was assigned to the Sexual Battery Unit, the Career Criminal Unit and is a member of the Homicide Trial Unit since 2018.

Detective Steve Ainsworth is currently a Law Enforcement Liaison/Consultant for Othram since April 2022. Steve was a trainer for over 200 different agencies and investigated over 2,500 deaths of all causes and manners. He is a District Court recognized expert in Medicolegal Death Investigation. 

Marie Allen is a Professor of Forensic Genetics. Her research team at Uppsala University (UU) is working on improving forensic DNA analysis assays for improved sensitivity and better discrimination. The research is also focused on developing strategies to counteract common challenges in evidence material, such as DNA degradation, DNA damage, DNA mixtures, and contamination.

Stephen J. Barborini, Resident Agent in Charge-Special Agent (RET) worked at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for 24 years of service. He is currently a Detective for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. Barborini is an elite expert in the field of firearms and firearms investigations. He is highly regarded as a subject matter expert in the fields of social media firearm investigations, international and domestic firearms trafficking investigations, firearm cybercrime investigations, and the procedures, rules, and laws as they pertain to the import, manufacture, and sale of firearms.

Kelly Behnke is a Forensic Scientist at the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in West Palm Beach, Florida in the Forensic Biology Unit. She has been with PBSO for approximately 8 years, conducting both biological screening and DNA analysis as well as training new analysts.

Cairenn Binder is the Assistant Director of the IGG Center and the Director of the IGG Certificate Program. Cairenn has been at the forefront of IGG since its inception, applying genetic genealogy to identify human remains with the nonprofit organization DNA Doe Project from 2018 through 2023.

Jo-Anne Bright is a Senior Science Leader within the Forensic Biology group at the Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited (ESR) New Zealand, where she has worked since 1999. Jo is one of the co developers of STRmix™, expert software for the interpretation of forensic DNA profiles and the new Australasian standard.

Alexandra Burgess graduated from MIT in 2016 with a degree in Neuroscience, where her passion for science and data took root. In 2018, she began pursuing a doctorate in Biology at Boston College, driven by her growing interest in molecular cell biology where she honed her scientific skills.

This led her to collaborate with her grandmother, applying her scientific expertise and love of data to research violent individuals and explore the emerging field of computational forensics. Throughout her doctoral program, Alex consistently pushed the boundaries of innovation, a mindset she carries into her current work. Her ultimate goal is to deepen the understanding of violent behaviors and contribute to reducing violence and mass shootings in the United States.

Ann Wolbert Burgess, with Lynda Lytle Holmstrom (Boston College), co-founded one of the first hospital-based crisis intervention programs for rape victims at Boston City Hospital.  Dr. Burgess has testified as an expert witness in 32 states and has received grant and pub­lished articles on the topics of rape trauma, child sexual abuse, child pornography, serial offenders, crime classification, post-traumatic stress, elder abuse, mental disorders and standards of nursing practice.

John M. Butler holds a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Virginia. He has written five textbooks on Forensic DNA Typing (2001, 2005, 2010, 2012, and 2015) and given hundreds of invited talks to scientists, lawyers, and members of the general public throughout the United States and in 26 other countries so far. Dr. Butler is a NIST Fellow (highest scientific rank at NIST) and Special Assistant to the Director for Forensic Science in the Special Programs Office at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Diva Casas, J.D., LL.M. has been working as an Assistant State Attorney since 2012. Since 2017 she has worked in the Gangs, Guns, and Drug Trafficking Unit and is currently the Chief of that unit as well as the Intake Unit at the State Attorney’s Office in West Palm Beach where she is responsible for overseeing all subordinate attorneys.

Diva specializes in complex criminal litigation including but not limited to gang/continuing criminal enterprise racketeering, T-3 wiretaps, circumstantial solicitation and conspiracy cases, overdose homicide investigations and prosecutions, complex robbery investigations, high level drug trafficking organizations, money laundering cases, etc.

Dr. Jennifer Cihlar is an Assistant Professor in the Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics Department at UNTHSC and a member of the UNTHSC Center for Human Identification’s Research Unit where her efforts focus on improving the forensic community’s ability to identity humans associated with crime, missing persons, and human and wildlife trafficking victims through forensic genomic research.

Michael Coble, PhD, is an Associate Professor and the Executive Director of the Center for Human Identification at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth, Texas. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and a member of the International Society for Forensic Genetics. He serves as a commissioner of the Texas Forensic Science Commission and is an invited guest at the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM).

Todd Cohen is currently one of the senior most Forensic Scientists in the Forensic Biology Unit of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. Located in West Palm Beach, FL, Todd has been employed for 11 years conducting DNA analysis, Y-STR analysis and serology on criminal cases in Palm Beach County.

John Collins is a High-Stakes Leadership Consultant and Executive Coach at Critical Victories, a company he founded to help people, teams, and organizations thrive in high-pressure environments where perfection is an expectation and failure is a ticket out the door.  He is also among the most respected forensic experts in the United States, recently publishing his first book on leadership and management in forensic science, which was released by Academic Press just last month. 

Dr. Benjamin Crysup is a Research Assistant Professor in the department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. After getting a Ph.D. in computational chemistry, he has pivoted to using mathematics and computation to create, improve and implement techniques in the fields of forensic and applied genetics under the auspices of the Center for Human Identification. Examples of recent research include proper genotyping in the context of mixtures (including atypical ploidies), applying machine learning to limit error in the estimation of haplotypes and developing a more conservative read merger.

Kari Danser is a forensic analyst at Cybergenetics (Pittsburgh, PA).She has two years of experience operating the TrueAllele® Casework system on casework data and has testified in court multiple times. She trains various laboratory analysts as well as students about the system. She has also presented research using the TrueAllele Casework system at conferences for the forensic science community.

Jeffrey Deskovic, Esq., M.A., is an internationally recognized wrongful conviction expert and the founder of The Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation for Justice, which has freed 15 wrongfully convicted people and helped pass nine laws, including: video-taping interrogations; identification reform; the Commission On Prosecutor Conduct, and Discovery Reform. Under Jeff’s supervision, The Foundation is trying to free 13 innocent people while pursuing policy initiatives in NY, PA, and CA. The motivation for his advocacy work is that he was wrongfully imprisoned for sixteen years- from age 17 to 32- despite a negative DNA Test, based upon a coerced, false confession, prosecutorial misconduct, fraud by the medical examiner, and an inept public defender before being exonerated via the DNA Database. A documentary short about his life post-exoneration and advocacy work, “Conviction”, is available on Amazon Prime. 

Jennifer is the State Administrative Manager for the Wellness and Resiliency Section of the Michigan State Police, overseeing wellness programming for over 3,000 members statewide, including both civilian and enforcement personnel. She has been with the Michigan State Police since 2005, initially as a forensic scientist specializing in DNA, trace evidence, bloodstain pattern analysis, and crime scene response. With 17 years in the field, Jennifer developed a deep interest in mental strength training and stress mitigation as it relates to first responders and support personnel. 

Kelly Elkins, PhD, is Professor of Chemistry and co-Director of the TU Human Remains Identification Laboratory at Towson University and a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the American Chemical Society.

Mohamed did his PhD in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto, and he’s now a postdoc with the Wheeler lab and the University of Toronto.

Lisa Graaf has an Msc in Forensic Science from the University in Amsterdam and joined the Netherlands Forensic Institute after her graduation in 2015.

She is one of only a couple of experts on forensic DNA kinship analysis in The Netherlands. Together with the rest of the team she works on missing persons and unidentified human remains cases, as well as familial searching in the Dutch DNA database and kinship analysis for immigration cases. 

Ms. Grossweiler is the National DNA Index System Program Manager in the Federal Bureau of Investigation's CODIS Unit. Lisa has over 33 years of experience in the forensic DNA field, serving in the private and public sectors. She joined the Federal DNA Database Unit of the FBI Laboratory in 2010 as a DNA Examiner and in 2019 transferred to the CODIS Unit where she accepted her current role as NDIS Custodian.

Dr. David Gurney, JD/PhD is an assistant professor of Law & Society and Director of the Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center at Ramapo College. He is president of the Investigative Genetic Genealogy Accreditation Board and a board member of the Forensic Genealogy Special Interest Group of the Association of Professional Genealogists.

Aimee Hack is a Technical Specialist for the Eurofins Forensic Services DNA Centre in the UK where she has worked since 2011. She has a BSc in Forensic Science from the University of Central Lancashire. As part of the Technical Team, she is responsible for implementation and evaluation of new technologies in the high throughput process lines used in the DNA Centre for processing reference and crime samples.

Dr. Hares is the Rapid DNA Implementation Program Advisor for the FBI’s Biometric Analysis Section.  He joined the DNA Analysis Unit II of the FBI Laboratory in 2000 as a Forensic Examiner.  In 2006, Dr. Hares transferred to the CODIS Unit where he served as the NDIS Custodian for over 13 years. 

Briel Hay is a Forensic Scientist with the Forensic Biology Unit at the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. She has been in this role for over two years, specializing in forensic DNA analysis.

Brian Hoey is the Director of the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Laboratory System. Brian has been with the MSHP Crime Lab for 29 years. Brian began his career as a DNA analyst and served as the Laboratory’s TL for 8 years. His current leadership focus is to coach the transition from bench Criminalist to supervision and management.

In March of 2017, Ms. Horan joined the Kings County District Attorney’s Office as a DNA Specialist in the Forensic Science & Cold Case Unit. She became the first forensic scientist to be hired on staff at a prosecutor’s office in New York State. Ms. Horan is responsible for providing training in serology and DNA testing for staff attorneys and local law enforcement. She also assists in grand jury and trial preparation for all DNA prosecutions and works with the NYPD Cold Case Squad in their homicide investigations.

Ted R. Hunt is Senior Level Scientist at the FBI’s Laboratory Division in Quantico, Virginia. In that role, he serves as Senior Advisor to the FBI Laboratory Director on forensic policies and practices. Prior to his current position, Mr. Hunt was Special Counsel for the FBI’s Science and Technology Branch, where he served as legal counsel to the Executive Assistant Director. From 2017 to 2021, Mr. Hunt was Senior Advisor on Forensic Science to the Deputy Attorney General at the United States Department of Justice where he served as the Department’s senior official on all issues involving forensic policy and practice.

Sara Huston is co-founder and president of DNA Bridge, a non-profit organization focused on the use of DNA for global family reunifications. She is also a Research Assistant Professor at Northwestern University and the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago with almost 20 years of research on the ethical, legal, and social implications of genetics. Her academic research currently focuses on genetic applications in humanitarian efforts, medicine, and law enforcement and her career focus is on the ethical approaches to using DNA technologies in human rights and humanitarian identifications.

Special Agent (SA) Mark James has 20 years of law enforcement experience as an FBI SA assigned to the Baltimore Field Office investigating gangs, narcotics, and violent crimes. Since March 2020, SA James has been the East Region Team Leader of the FBI Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) Team, which is responsible for conducting IGG on violent crime and unidentified human remains cases on the East Coast of the United States. The East Region FBI IGG Team has been responsible for the successful resolution of numerous violent crimes—including rapes and murders—and the identification of unknown homicide victims.

Nana Lamousé-Welch, M.S. is the DNA Specialist for the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office in New York City. In her current role Nana acts as a liaison to the OCME and assists the district attorney’s office with all DNA related matters ranging from education to trial preparation and hearings to cold case investigations and genetic genealogy investigations.

Allison currently works with the Manhattan trial office, trying cases and assisting attorneys with assessing DNA results, drafting motions, litigating admissibility challenges and preparing defense strategies for trials with DNA and forensics issues. She gives regular training on DNA testing, forensic methods and challenges throughout New York City and the country.

Eugene is actively involved in the community and is a member of many forensic working groups.  Throughout his career, he seems to be directly involved with standards and guidelines – both following them and helping to write them.  He has been a participant of the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) for more than 17 years and a participant of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science since its inception. 

Steve Lund received his PhD in statistics from Iowa State University. He joined NIST as a mathematical statistician in 2012 and currently leads the Evidential Statistics Focus Area and the NIST Footwear Impression Research Group. He is a former member of the OSAC Footwear and Tire Subcommittee and currently supports three of the NIST Forensic Science Foundations Review teams.

Dr Vanessa Lynch is a forensic DNA policy expert and advocate based in South Africa. After the unsolved murder of her father, she founded The DNA Project in 2005 to campaign for the use of DNA in criminal investigations — leading to the establishment of South Africa’s first National Forensic DNA Database. In 2021, she launched DNAforAfrica, a regional initiative supporting the development of DNA policy, databases, and forensic casework across the African continent.

Alyse Margetts is a distinguished forensic DNA analyst and casework supervisor with over a decade of expertise in the field. In 2020, Alyse transitioned into a training coordinator role to meet the ever-growing training demands of the unit. As a training coordinator, she worked closely with the technical leader to develop new training programs that emphasized theoretical knowledge, hands-on learning, and speaking opportunities.

Misty Marra is a Forensic Science Program Manager at RTI International in the Center for Forensic Science Advancement and Application, where she serves as a Co-Technical Assistance Director for the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Training and Technical Assistance (SAKI TTA) project and a TTA Coach for the Forensics TTA project. In this capacity, she oversees and coordinates the delivery of training and technical assistance for grantees funded under the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative and Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction programs.

Dr. Marshall has extensive graduate and undergraduate teaching experience in the forensic disciplines of serology, DNA, and microscopy. Her research interests include low copy number DNA, human and wildlife DNA identification challenges, nanoparticle technology, pressure cycling technology, and PCR enhancement.

In 2016, Candace Matthews became the crime scene supervisor at the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, where she currently serves as the CSU Manager. She also holds positions as the RDSTF Region 6 Forensic Lead, is a board member of the Florida Sheriff’s Association Cold Case Committee, and she served as the FDIAI Region 3 Director for three years.

At the Center for Human Identification, Carlos supported forensic DNA laboratories in Central America through a U.S. Department of State–funded grant, providing scientific training and technological assistance aimed at strengthening CODIS databases and promoting the international exchange of DNA for humanitarian purposes.

Currently, under the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Missing and Unidentified Human Remains (MUHR) grant, Carlos facilitates forensic testing, and the identification of missing persons and unidentified human remains, including migrants. This initiative seeks to enhance public safety by providing critical resources to locate and identify missing individuals and unidentified remains within the United States.

Lilly Moreno is a Research Biologist within the DNA Support Unit at the FBI Laboratory. She plays an integral role in the Rapid DNA testing and advancement efforts at the FBI where she also oversees evaluation and validation efforts pertaining to Next Generation Sequencing technology and other chemistries and technologies in support of the Biometric Units at the FBI.

Dr. Nicole Novroski is the Associate Director of the Center for Human Identification and holds an Associate Professor position within the College of Biomedical and Translational Sciences at UNTHSC.  Her current focus is the exploration of previously uncharacterized genetic markers for improved DNA mixture deconvolution and in the optimization of genetic workflows for forensic genetic genealogy.  

Craig O’Connor is the Director of the Department of Forensic Biology at the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner, the largest public DNA Lab in the country with over 200 analysts and technicians. He manages the daily operations in the department ensuring that the analytical work conforms to state and national accreditation requirements and federal quality assurance standards.

Rachel Oefelein is currently the Chief Scientific Officer at DNA Labs International (DLI) and Laboratory Director. Since joining DNA Labs International in 2014, Rachel was instrumental in implementing STRmix™ for five profiling systems, rootless hair shaft testing, and Next Generation Sequencing in three profiling systems. She also innovated and implemented DLI’s successful SpentShell™ technology for fired cartridge casings.

Dr. Walther Parson is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Legal Medicine at Innsbruck Medical University in Austria and an Adjunct Professor in the Forensic Science Program at Penn State University. He is a leading member of multiple forensic organizations, including serving as Secretary of the International Society for Forensic Genetics (ISFG), Secretary of the European DNA Profiling Group (EDNAP), and Operational Manager for ISFG interests. He co-developed and curates the forensic DNA databases EMPOP and STRidER, supporting global standards in mitochondrial and STR data quality.

Sharon Polakowski is a Forensic Scientist working for the Wisconsin State Crime in Milwaukee. She has served in that capacity for over 30 years, beginning with training/casework in Serology and transitioning to DNA testing as it was put into use in the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratories.

Barbara Rae-Venter is a genetic genealogist, biologist and retired patent attorney who is best known for her work helping police and investigators identify Joseph James DeAngelo as the Golden State Killer. She is the President and Founder of the Firebird Forensics Group, which is a nonprofit that focuses on assisting law enforcement in identifying suspects in violent crimes and identifying unidentified human remains.

Carol Retamozo is the Assistant Forensic Quality Assurance Manager at the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. She has 20 years of experience in forensic science and has worked for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. She has experience in various roles, including Forensic Technologist, Forensic Scientist, and Forensic Laboratory Supervisor.

Erica Romsos is a Research Biologist with the Applied Genetics Group at NIST focusing on rapid DNA testing, digital PCR analysis, and standards development. Her work in Standard Reference Material characterization has assisted the creation of many SRMs produced by NIST and the creation of a Research Grade Testing Material (RGTM 10235) for the forensic DNA community. Additionally, Erica is the Leader of the Forensic Science Quality Assurance Program, supporting method testing, validation, and technology performance across different forensic science disciplines.

Heather Sarik is the Validation and Implementation Manager at Bode Technology. Heather has been a part of the Bode team since 2012 where her love for learning and troubleshooting led her to join the validations team in 2014. She enjoys being involved in all aspects of laboratory processing and specializing in automation workflows.

Cristina Servidio is the Chief Operating Officer and Technical Leader at DNA Labs International, where she manages laboratory operations and oversees the analysis of forensic DNA evidence.

Caroline Shepherd is a Circuit Court Judge for the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, Palm Beach County, Florida. Since 2019, she has served in the Criminal Division primarily doing felony trials. She also handled First Appearances, Criminal Arraignments, and Adult Drug Court. She was the recipient of the Peter Fairclough Memorial Recognition Award for her work with alcohol and substance-addicted individuals in Palm Beach County. Judge Shepherd has served as the judicial representative on the Homeless Advisory Board, has served as Chair of the Palm Beach County Canvassing Board, has served on the Courthouse Security Committee, has initiated the Homeless Court planning committee and is a frequent guest speaker at local Palm Beach County schools.

Julie Conover Sikorsky is the Forensic Biology Manager at the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. She joined PBSO in 2002 as a Senior Forensic Scientist and became Forensic Biology Manager in 2012. Julie holds a B.S. in Molecular Biology from UC San Diego and M.S. degrees in Forensic Science and Biomedical Science from Marshall University. ABC-certified in Molecular Biology and a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, she serves on multiple forensic science committees and frequently presents at industry conferences. Dedicated to advancing forensic science, Julie focuses on innovation, process improvement, and mentorship.

Ms. Rachel Singer has served as an Assistant District Attorney for 20 years. She began her career at the Bronx District Attorney's Office in the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Bureau, where she prosecuted both domestic violence and sexual assaults cases involving adults and children.

Dr. Henry Swofford is the Lead Scientist with the Forensic Science Research Program in the Special Programs Office at NIST. Over his career, Swofford has authored several articles and given approximately 150 professional presentations throughout the United States and International community related to forensic science methods and practices. He has testified in federal, state, and military courts as an expert and served on numerous committees and boards related to forensic science.

Elyssa has worked with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for over 14 years. She has found a love for cold cases and a knack for bending the SOP to her will. (All with TL and supervisor approval)

In the recent years, working as technical director and head of the forensic genetics department in Citogen, Isabel has focused her work specially in implementing and validating the use of MPS applied to forensics and in the application of new generation sequencing technologies to Missing Persons projects, including STRs, mtDNA and FIGG studies.

Samantha Wandzek is the Technical Leader of Signature Science’s Forensic DNA Laboratory in Austin, Texas. Ms. Wandzek oversees all technical aspects of the laboratory including validation and implementation of all forensic methods. In addition, she continues to function as a Forensic DNA Analyst by reporting and performing technical review of DNA analyses and case files.

Tracie is a psychologist who has worked for over seventeen years in several environments, including higher education, private practice, and a men’s prison. She has done therapy with couples and individuals who were struggling with substance abuse, trauma, depression, and other mental health challenges.

She is the Chief Police Psychologist in the Office of Behavioral Science for the Michigan State Police. She teaches at the training academy, does presentations on self-care, and helps the enlisted and civilian members process the traumatic experiences they encounter in the workplace. Most of all, she enjoys watching people journey from unhealthy functioning to overall wellness.

Lawrence Wein is the Jeffrey S. Skoll Professor of Management Science at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. He has been awarded a Presidential Young Investigator Award, the Erlang Prize, the Koopman Prize, the INFORMS Expository Writing Award, the Philip McCord Morse Lectureship, the INFORMS President’s Award, the Frederick W. Lanchester Prize, the George E. Kimball Medal, a best paper award from Risk Analysis, and two notable paper awards from the Journal of Forensic Sciences. He is an INFORMS Fellow and a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

Jason Weiss is a Partner at Goldberger Weiss, P.A. in West Palm Beach, Florida. After serving as a prosecutor in Palm Beach County for three years, he joined the firm in 1999 and has since dedicated his practice exclusively to criminal defense.

Regina Wells has been employed by the Kentucky State Police for 19 years and the supervisor of the DNA Database for 3 years. She also serves as the State CODIS Administrator for Kentucky.

Dr. Ray Wickenheiser, is the retired Director of the New York State Police Crime Laboratory System, formerly headquartered in Albany, New York.  Ray is now located in Lafayette, Louisiana, where he provides forensic consulting and training. His areas of expertise include crime lab administration, quality management, conflict resolution, forensic DNA and mixture interpretation, serology, hair and fiber trace evidence, physical matching and comparison, glass fracture analysis, forensic grain comparison and forensic investigative genetic genealogy. 

Richard Wivell is a Senior Scientist within the STRmixTM  team at the Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited, New Zealand where he has worked since 2008.  Before moving to New Zealand, Richard was a Forensic Scientist for the Metropolitan Police Service and the Forensic Science Service in the UK.

August Woerner is an Assistant Professor in the department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. Much of August’s current research focuses on whole genome sequencing, particular, its application to forensic genetic genealogy.

Juan J. Yunis is the Director Científico at the Servicios Médicos Yunis Turbay y Cia SAS, Bogotá, Colombia. He is also Profesor Titular in the Departamento de Patología at the Facultad de Medicina e Instituto de Genética at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. He has 28 years of experience In Forensic Genetics, and is one of the pioneers of DNA testing in Colombia. He is the director of the largest forensic genetics private laboratory in Colombia, and won the Colombian National Academy of Medicine Award in 2002 and 2004.