1st Annual

BJA Forensics Programs Grantees Meeting

Virtual | October 2-3, 2023

Registration for this event has now closed.

On behalf of the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the Forensics Training and Technical Assistance (Forensics TTA) Team, led by RTI International, is hosting the 1st Annual BJA Forensics Programs Grantees Meeting, scheduled for October 2-3, 2023!

This year’s meeting will be virtual and will feature sessions on Forensic Genetic Genealogy, Rapid DNA, grantee innovations, improving the impact of federal funding, performance measure tracking, grant management best practices, and much more.

Program-specific breakout discussions will also be featured to provide grantees with a unique opportunity to learn more from respective BJA staff and other grantees.

Who should attend?

Grantees from the following programs are eligible to attend this conference:

Recipients of FY2022 funding for CEBR, ME/C, COLD, and Postconviction are required to attend per the BJA solicitation.  All other grantees are strongly encouraged to participate.  Please note, this conference is optional for all Coverdell grantees.

All awardees may register up to three representatives for the meeting.  These representatives should be key site team personnel to include the individual responsible for overseeing the grant management of the award. We encourage grantees to review the list of topics and determine which additional team members should attend. 

This training will be archived for on-demand viewing for those who are unable to attend this live event.

Draft Conference Agenda

All times listed are in Eastern Standard Time.

Monday, October 2, 2023 | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm ET

11:00 – 11:20

Opening Remarks

Presenters:

Thurston Bryant, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)

Angela Williamson, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)

Karhlton Moore, Director, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)

Ashley Rodriguez, Conference Emcee, RTI International 

11:20 – 12:35

Keynote Session

Presenters:

Debbie Smith

Rob Smith 

12:35 – 12:45

Break

12:45 – 1:45

Grantee Innovations

Presenters:

Amy Castillo, Houston Forensic Science Center (CEBR)

Alfie McGinty, Marion County Coroner’s Office (ME/C)

Mark Pooley, The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (MUHR)

Chris Lindberg, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office (COLD)  
Valerie Newman, Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office (Postconviction)

1:45 – 2:00

Forensics Training and Technical Assistance

Presenter:

Pattie Melton, RTI International

2:00 – 2:10

Break

2:10 – 3:10

Workshop Sessions

Track ATrack BTrack C
Leveraging Grant Funds for Sexually Motivated Crimes

Presenters:
Carey Hendricks, BJA
Mary Weston, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office
Dawn Weber, Denver District Attorney’s Office

Facilitator: 
Misty Marra, RTI 
Limitations and Applications of Rapid DNA

Presenter:
Doug Hares, FBI

Facilitator:
Jason Chute, RTI 
Financial Grants Management Training

Presenter:
Angela Wade, OJP Office of the Chief Financial Officer

Facilitator: 
Nikia Johnson, RTI 

3:10 – 3:20

Break

3:20 – 4:50

Program-Specific Workshop Sessions

Track A - CEBRTrack B - CEBRTrack C - MUHRTrack D – MEC, COLD and Postconviction
Demystifying Performance Measures

Presenters:
Michael Adams, BJA
Nichole Norvesh, BJA
Andrea Borchardt, BJA

Facilitator:
Jason Chute, RTI
Improving Impact of Federal Funding

Presenters:
Jennifer Harmon, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Regional Crime Lab
Julie Sikorsky, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office
Amy Lightfoot, Utah Department of Public Safety

Facilitator:
Misty Marra, RTI 
Missing and Unidentified Resources: NamUs and NCMEC

Presenters:
Heather McKiernan, NamUs
Amanda Bixler, NCMEC

Facilitator:
Dustin Driscoll, RTI
Model Practices for Grant Management

Presenters:
Caroline Shriver, BJA
Kathryn Manning, BJA
Tahitia Barringer, BJA

Facilitator:
Emily Strelka, RTI

4:50 – 5:00

End-of-Day Wrap-Up Within Workshop Sessions

Tuesday, October 3, 2023 | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm ET

11:00 – 11:01

Welcome for Day 2

11:01 – 12:00

Keynote Session

Presenter:

Kirk Bloodsworth

12:00 – 12:15

Break

12:15 – 12:30

Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCOE) Resources

Presenter:

Nelson Santos, RTI International

12:30 – 1:05

Investigative Genetic Genealogy

Presenters:

Amy Whitman, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Mark James, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

1:05 – 1:15

Break

1:15 – 2:15

Workshop Sessions

Track ATrack BTrack C
DNA Updates & Considerations for Challenging Evidence

Presenter:
Angela Williamson, BJA

Facilitator:
Ashley Rodriguez, RTI
Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP)

Presenter:
Nathan Graham, FBI

Facilitators:
Lindsey Wade, RTI
Madison Boden, RTI
Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) – Overviews of Next Generation Identification (NGI) and Deceased Persons Identification (DPI)

Presenters:
Julia Lucas, FBI
Michael Lohmann, FBI

Facilitator:
Dustin Driscoll, RTI 

2:15 – 2:25

Break

2:25 – 3:55

Program-Specific Workshop Sessions

Track A - MECTrack B - COLDTrack C - PostconvictionTrack D – CEBR and MUHR
Strategies for Recruiting and Retention of Individuals for Your Fellowship Program

Presenters:
Dr. James Gill, Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
Dr. Rebecca MacDougall, Broward County Office of Medical Examiner and Trauma Services
Nathan Geerdes, King County Medical Examiner’s Office
Dr. Amanda Maskovyak, King County Medical Examiner’s Office

Facilitator:
Erica Christensen, RTI
The Prosecution of Forensic Genetic Genealogy Cases

Presenters:
TeriAnn Grimes, Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office
Chris Ore, Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office
Chris Lindberg, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office
Robert Dean, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office

Facilitator:
Lindsey Wade, RTI 
Overcoming Barriers

Presenters:
Kristina Hoffman, Washington State Patrol
Lisa Kavanaugh, Committee for Public Counsel Services
Catherine Matoian, North Carolina Innocence Commission
Emily Maw, Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office

Facilitators:
Jason Chute, RTI
Adina Thompson, Quattrone Center
Model Practices for Grant Management

Presenters:
Caroline Shriver, BJA
Kathryn Manning, BJA
Tahitia Barringer, BJA

Facilitator:
Emily Strelka, RTI

3:55 – 4:05

Break

4:05 – 4:50

Leveraging Multiple Funding Streams for Success – The Joe Michael Ervin Case

Presenters:

Detective Kari Johnson, Denver (Colorado) Police Department

Captain Jason Bobo, Texas Rangers

4:50 – 5:00

Closing

Presenter:

Dr. Angela Williamson, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)

Contact Forensics TTA

Please reach out to the Forensics TTA Team (ForensicsTTA@rti.org) with any questions or concerns.