Fourth Annual DNA Grantees' Workshop

Presenter Biographies

Jack Ballantyne is associate professor of chemistry at the University of Central Florida (Orlando) and associate director of research at the National Center for Forensic Science (Orlando). He is also chairman of the New York State DNA Subcommittee, a regular visiting guest of the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods, a member of the U.S. Department of Defense's Quality Assurance Oversight Committee, and a member of the World Trade Center Kinship and Analysis Panel. He earned a B.S. in biochemistry from the University of Glasgow (Scotland), an M.S. in forensic science from the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, Scotland), and a Ph.D. in genetics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Jeffrey D. Ban is chief of the DNA program in the forensic biology section of the Virginia Division of Forensic Science (Richmond). He is also a member of the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods and an inspector for the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board. He earned a B.S. in microbiology from Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton) and an M.S. in industrial chemistry from the University of Central Florida (Orlando).

Jan Bashinski is a consultant in private practice and a diplomate of the American Board of Criminalistics. She earned a B.S. in chemistry and an M.S. in criminalistics from the University of California at Berkeley.

Clifton P. Bishop is director of the forensic and investigative science program at West Virginia University (Morgantown). He earned a B.S. in biology from George Mason University (Fairfax, Virginia) and a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Virginia (Charlottesville).

Murray H. Brilliant is the Lindholm Professor of Genetics in the department of pediatrics at the University of Arizona (UA) (Tucson). He also chairs the research steering committee of the department of pediatrics, is the interim director of UA's genetics graduate program, and serves on the editorial boards of Pigment Cell Research and Mammalian Genome. He received a Ph.D. in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology from the University of Colorado (Boulder).

Janelle A. Buchanan is a forensic analyst contracted to the Investigative and Forensic Sciences Division of the Office of Science and Technology at the National Institute of Justice. She earned a B.S. in biology from Mary Washington College (Fredericksburg, Virginia) and an M.S. in forensic science from George Mason University (Fairfax, Virginia).

John H. Butler is a research chemist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, where he is also the principal investigator on a National Institute of Justice-funded project to develop future technologies for forensic DNA typing. He earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Virginia (Charlottesville).

Cassandra D. Calloway is coprincipal investigator (along with Henry Ehrlich) at Roche Molecular Systems for a National Institute of Justice-funded project to develop a rapid, immobilized probe assay for the detection of mitochondrial DNA variation in the noncoding region. She is working on her Ph.D. in comparative biochemistry at the University of California at Berkeley. She earned a B.S. and an M.S. in genetics from the University of Georgia (Athens).

Winston C.H. Chen is a senior scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He earned a B.S. in chemistry from National Taiwan University (Taipei) and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Chicago (Illinois).

David Coffman is a crime laboratory analyst supervisor for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in Tallahassee. He also supervises Florida's DNA Investigative Support Database, serves as vice chairman of the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods, is a member of U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft's Laboratory Funding Working Group, and is a member of the FBI's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) Redesign Committee. He earned a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Houston (Texas).

Heather Miller Coyle is a DNA casework analyst and research and validation coordinator at the Connecticut State Forensic Science Laboratory. She also serves as an adjunct professor in the molecular biology and biochemistry departments at the University of Connecticut (Storrs).

Cecilia A. Crouse is supervisor of the serology/DNA section in the crime laboratory of the Palm Beach County (Florida) Sheriff's Office. She is also a member of the working group for Attorney General John Ashcroft's Initiative on DNA Laboratory Analysis Backlogs and is a member of the editorial review board of the Journal of Forensic Science. She earned a B.S. in biology from Michigan State University (East Lansing) and a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the University of Miami (Florida).

Angelo Della Manna is chief of forensic biology and the statewide technical leader for the Alabama Department of Forensic Science. He earned a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Toronto (Ontario, Canada) and an M.S. in forensic science from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Barry W. Duceman is director of biological science at the New York State Police's Forensic Investigation Center and an adjunct assistant professor in the department of biological sciences and adjunct associate professor in the department of biomedical science at the State University of New York. He is also a member of the World Trade Center DNA Data Analysis Panel. He earned a Ph.D. in pharmacology from Pennsylvania State University (University Park).

Dan Ehrlich is director of BioMEMS Laboratory at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and a member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Center for Biomedical Engineering, both of which are located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

David Foran is an assistant professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University (East Lansing), where he directs the forensic biology program, and is appointed in the department of zoology, where he oversees the forensic biology laboratory. He earned a Ph.D. in molecular genetics from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor).

Lisa Forman is chief of the Investigative and Forensic Sciences Division of the Office of Science and Technology at the National Institute of Justice. She earned a B.S. from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.A. and a Ph.D. from New York University (New York).

William Frank is a member of the Forensic Sciences Command of the Illinois State Police.

Sarah V. Hart is director of the National Institute of Justice. She earned a B.S. in criminal justice from the University of Delaware (Newark) and a J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law.

John C. Herr is a professor of cell biology and director of the Center for Research in Contraceptive and Reproductive Health at the University of Virginia's School of Medicine (Charlottesville).

>Lucy Davis Houck is the DNA technical leader for the National Forensic Science Technology Center and director of quality assurance at Quality Forensics. She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Max M. Houck is director of the Forensic Science Initiative at West Virginia University (Morgantown). He is also a trace evidence expert, an anthropologist, and a fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. He earned a B.S. and M.A. in anthropology from Michigan State University (East Lansing).

Lisa Hurst is employed by Smith Alling Lane, where she has been involved with much of the firm's forensic DNA research and policy, particularly Federal and State regulatory issues and grants. She earned an undergraduate degree from Miami University of Ohio (Oxford).

Susan Hart Johns is president of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors. She earned a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Illinois and an M.A. in chemistry from San Diego State University (California).

Roger Kahn is deputy superintendent of laboratories at the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (London). He earned a B.S. in biology from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a Ph.D. from Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut).

Margaret C. Kline is a research biologist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. She also works in the Fermentation Program at the National Cancer Institute (Frederick, Maryland). She earned an M.S. in animal dairy and veterinary science from the University of Maryland.

Barbara C. Levin is the principal investigator in the Biotechnology Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). She is also a member of the Society of Toxicology, Environmental Mutagen Society, Association of Government Toxicologists, Genetic Toxicology Association, Mitochondrial Research Society, and the NIST chapter of Sigma Xi. She earned a B.A. in biology (minor in chemistry) from Brown University (Providence, Rhode Island) and a Ph.D. in microbial genetics from Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.).

Debang Liu is a cofounder and managing member of Oligotrail, a biotechnology company. He is principal investigator on two projects concerned with locus-specific bracketing markers and STR genotyping, both funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute and NIJ. Before launching Oligotrail, Dr. Liu was a senior research scientist at Evanston Northwestern Health Care in Evanston, Illinois. Earlier he was a research fellow and a Ph.D. student in molecular biology at the University of Illinois (Chicago). He received an M.D. from Jinzhou Medical College in China, a master's degree in medical science from Hebei Medical University of China, and an M.B.A. from Keller Graduate School of DeVry University in Chicago.

Bruce R. McCord is director of the forensic chemistry program at Ohio University (Athens). He is also a member of the Council of Forensic Science Educators, the Forensic Science Institute of Ohio, and the editorial board of the Journal of Capillary Electrophoresis. He earned a B.S. in chemistry from the College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia) and a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Marilyn Menotti-Raymond is a staff scientist at the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity at the National Cancer Institute (Frederick, Maryland). She earned a B.S. in bacteriology and an M.S. and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from Syracuse University (New York).

John S. Morgan is acting assistant director of the National Institute of Justice's Office of Science and Technology. He earned a B.S. in physics from Loyola College (Baltimore, Maryland) and a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland).

Janice Nicklas is a researcher for the Vermont Forensic Laboratory. She earned a B.S. in biology from the California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, California) and a Ph.D. in genetics from Princeton University (New Jersey).

Steve Niezgoda is a consultant for the National Institute of Justice. He is also a member of the Association of Computing Machinery and the American Society of Quality. He earned a B.S. in civil engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Blacksburg) and an M.B.A. from George Mason University (Fairfax, Virginia).

Elaine Pagliaro is assistant director of the Forensic Science Laboratory in the Connecticut Department of Public Safety's Division of Scientific Services. She also is a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences; participates in the Connecticut Commission for the Standardization of the Collection of Sexual Assault Evidence; serves as an adjunct professor at several universities in Connecticut; and is a member of the bar in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and the Federal District of New Hampshire. She earned a J.D. from Quinnipiac University School of Law (Hamden, Connecticut).

Thomas J. Parsons is chief scientist at the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory. He is also an adjunct faculty member in both the genetics and forensic sciences departments at The George Washington University (Washington, D.C.) and serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the International Commission on Missing Persons and on the expert advisory panel for data interpretation issues of the World Trade Center DNA identification effort. He earned a B.S. in physics from the University of Chicago (Illinois) and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Washington (Seattle).

Mark W. Perlin is chief executive officer and founder of Cybergenetics. He also holds adjunct faculty appointments in computer science at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) and human genetics at the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania). He earned a B.A. in chemistry from the State University of New York at Binghamton, a Ph.D. in mathematics from City University of New York, an M.D. from the University of Chicago (Illinois), and a Ph.D. in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University.

Mechthild Prinz is assistant director of the department of biology in New York City's Office of Chief Medical Examiner. She earned an M.S. in biology from Albertus Magnus University (Cologne, Germany) and a Ph.D. in human biology from Ulm University (Germany).

David A. Ray is a postdoctoral fellow in the department of biology's Laboratory of Comparative Genomics at Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge). He earned a B.S. in biological science and an M.A. in teaching from the University of South Carolina (Columbia).

Tim Schellberg is a partner with Smith Alling Lane. He earned a B.A. in political science from Washington State University (Pullman) and a J.D. from Seattle University School of Law (Washington).

Sindey Schueler is supervisor of the biology unit at the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. She also represents the State of Kansas on the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods and serves on the CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) Redesign Committee. She earned a B.S. in cellular biology from the University of Kansas (Lawrence).

Carl M. Selavka is director of the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory System, currently serving "on detail" as a senior program manager of the Crime Laboratory Improvement Program in the National Institute of Justice's Division of Investigative and Forensic Sciences. He earned a B.S. in chemistry and forensic studies from Indiana University (Bloomington) and an M.S. and a Ph.D. in forensic chemistry from Northeastern University (Boston, Massachusetts).

George F. Sensabaugh, Jr., is a professor of biomedical and forensic sciences at the University of California at Berkeley. He also serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Forensic Science,Science and Justice, and Forensic Science Reviews. He earned a B.A. in philosophy (pre-med) from Princeton University (New Jersey) and a Ph.D. in criminology from the University of California at Berkeley.

Ronald Sosnowski is senior director of the molecular biology division at Nanogen, Inc. He received training as a molecular cellular geneticist at Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland) and at the University of California at San Diego.

Amanda Sozer is director of DNA Technology Consulting Services. She is also the regional chairperson of the Parentage Testing Accreditation Unit of the American Association of Blood Banks; the secretary of the Human Identity Trade Association; and a member of the American Society of Genetics, the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, the American College of Forensic Examiners, the American Society of Forensic Sciences, and the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. She earned an undergraduate degree from Rutgers University (New Brunswick, New Jersey) and a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Oak Ridge).

Ted Staples is manager of the forensic biology section and administrator of the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Division of Forensic Sciences. He also serves on the Scientific Working Group for DNA Analysis Methods-CODIS subcommittee, the National DNA Database (CODIS) Policies/Procedures Board, and the advisory panel for the International Association of Chiefs of Police. He earned a B.S. in biology from Georgia College (Milledgeville) and an M.S. from the University of Georgia (Athens).

Julie Sutton is chief of staff at the National Forensic Science Technology Center. She earned a B.S. in chemistry and biochemistry, a Ph.D. in biochemistry, and an M.B.A.

Anthony J. Tambasco is director of the Mansfield (Ohio) Police Laboratory. He also serves as president-elect of the Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientists. He earned a B.S. in criminalistics from the State University of New York–University of Buffalo.

Mark Timken is a criminalist at the California Department of Justice (Richmond). He earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign).

Christine S. Tomsey is manager of the Forensic DNA Laboratory of the Pennsylvania State Police. She also is the administrator of the Combined DNA Index System in Pennsylvania; serves on the executive committee of the Scientific Working Group for DNA Analysis Methods; is a certified auditor of DNA laboratories; and is a court-qualified expert in forensic DNA analysis, serology, drug, and trace evidence analysis. She earned a B.S. and an M.S. in chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania).

Lois Tully is program manager of the National Institute of Justice's Investigative and Forensic Sciences Division. She earned a B.S. in medical technology from Temple University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), an M.S. in forensic sciences from The George Washington University (Washington, D.C.), and a Ph.D. in human genetics from the University of Maryland at Baltimore.

Peter M. Vallone is a research scientist in the DNA Technologies group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. He earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

William T. Vosburgh is director of forensic services for the Prince George's County (Maryland) Police Department. He earned a B.S. in chemistry from the College of Wooster (Ohio) and a Ph.D. in dental surgery from Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.).

Victor W. Weedn is director of biotechnology and health initiatives and principal research scientist with appointments in science, engineering, and public policy and management at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). He also is chairman of the Strategic Planning and Data Committees of the National Association of Medical Examiners, a member of the Board of Directors of the American Board of Criminalistics, 2004 chairman of the pathology/biology section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, secretary of the Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations, and editor of the Journal of Forensic Sciences. He earned an M.D. from the University of Texas (Austin) and a J.D. from South Texas College of Law (Houston).

Diana Williams is a crime laboratory scientist in the forensic biology section of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. She earned a B.S. in chemistry from the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) and an M.S. in forensic science from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Pat W. Wojtkiewicz is director of the Shreveport Laboratory—a division of the North Louisiana Crime Laboratory System. He earned a Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology from Tulane University (New Orleans, Louisiana).