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:

Dark purple-filled circle with a DNA spiral icon inside — DNA Capacity Enhancement Backlog Reduction (CEBR) Program

Purple-filled circle with three standing people icons with the middle person having a question mark — Missing and Unidentified Human Remains (MUHR) Program

Pink-filled circle with a microscope icon inside — Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants (Coverdell) Program

Grey-filled circle with a justice scale icon inside — Postconviction Testing of DNA Evidence (Postconviction) Program

Dark grey-filled circle with a woman holding a sword and a justice scale inside — Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA (COLD) Program

Dark eggplant-filled circle with a medical icon inside — Strengthening the Medical Examiner-Coroner (ME/C) System Program

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 A	Track B	Track 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 - CEBR	Track B - CEBR	Track C - MUHR	Track 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 A	Track B	Track 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 - MEC	Track B - COLD	Track C - Postconviction	Track 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.