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. With over 24 years of experience, Ms. Marra previously worked as a Forensic DNA Analyst and DNA Laboratory Coordinator at the Marshall University Forensic Science Center, where she conducted analysis and technical review of more than 5,000 forensic DNA cases, including sexual assaults, homicides, and property crimes.
As a dedicated educator for 15 years, she has served as an Associate Graduate Faculty Member at Marshall University and a forensic DNA subject matter expert for organizations such as RTI (SAKI TTA), Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner–Sexual Assault Response Teams Resource Services, the Office for Victims of Crime, and End Violence Against Women International.
Ms. Marra specializes in forensic DNA applications, laboratory strategic planning, the development of effective sexual assault kit testing strategies, and the implementation of multidisciplinary responses to sexual assault. She has played a key role in forensic testing initiatives and technical review of outsourced sexual assault kit projects nationwide. She is also a member of the Forensic Nursing Subcommittee of the NIST Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC).
