Tentative Panels and Speakers
Tentative Panels and Speakers
October 20-21, 2025
University of New Haven, CT
Connecticut State Spotlight
Peter Valentin, Associate Professor and Chair of the Forensic Science Department at the University of New Haven’s Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences. Connecticut’s state forensic science laboratory, housed within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, earned a perfect accreditation score for the third consecutive year. Key strengths include the elimination of a 12,000-case backlog, the use of rapid DNA kiosks, and a 40% reduction in toxicology turnaround times in 2024. NAFSB’s 2025 conference is hosted by the University of New Haven and the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science. This $14 million facility includes crime‑scene labs, advanced technology like ground‑penetrating radar and 3D bullet‑trajectory tools, virtual training modules, and a forensic crisis management center that supports real‑time collaboration across agencies. Together, these two pillars—the state’s high-performance forensic lab and UNH’s top-tier academic and training hub—form a vibrant ecosystem that fuels innovation, workforce development, and collaboration.
October 20-21, 2025
University of New Haven, CT
Independent Audit Report on the Maryland OCME's handling of Restraint-Related Death Investigations
Speaker: Jeff Kukucka, Associate Professor of Psychology at Towson University
This panel will examine the recent independent review of the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which revealed systemic deficiencies in death investigations and troubling patterns in cause-of-death determinations. Featuring forensic psychologist Dr. Jeff Kukucka, a leading expert on cognitive bias in forensic decision-making, the session will explore how institutional pressures, high caseloads, and inadequate oversight can compromise the integrity of medico-legal death investigations. Panelists will discuss the implications of the Maryland findings for other jurisdictions, the role of psychological science in improving objectivity, and strategies for reforming autopsy practices to ensure scientific rigor, transparency, and justice. This session is essential for anyone involved in forensic oversight, death investigation, or policy reform
October 20-21, 2025
University of New Haven, CT
FSOBs for Forensic Pathology
Speaker: Ann Marie Mires, Program Director of the Forensic Criminology program and adjunct professor at Anna Maria College
The Massachusetts Forensic Science Oversight Board has received two complaints related to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner but is uncertain whether they fall within its jurisdiction, as the OCME is overseen by the Medical-Legal Commission. Moderated by Dr. Ann Marie Mires, this panel will examine how different states handle such jurisdictional gray areas, focusing on strategies to ensure scientific accountability in medico-legal investigations when oversight responsibilities are unclear.
Strategic Funding for Forensic Science: Navigating Appropriations, Account Structures, and Financial Partnerships
Speaker: Beth Lavach, Director of Government Relations, Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations
In an era where forensic science plays a pivotal role in public safety and criminal justice, sustainable funding is more than a budgetary concern it's a pivotal part of your FSSP strategy. This session will explore the importance of understanding your state and local funding landscape, the distinctions between sum certain and sum sufficient appropriations, and how these structures can directly impact forensic operations, staffing, innovation, and case turnaround times. Participants will gain insight into how being informed and proactive about funding mechanisms can enhance decision-making, support long-term planning, and improve the credibility of budget requests. The session will also highlight the critical role of cultivating productive relationships with state finance departments to ensure forensic priorities are communicated clearly and effectively during budget cycles. Whether you’re leading a lab, managing a unit, advocating for policy change, understanding the nuances of your funding structure can strengthen your impact and ensure the resilience of your forensic operations. Boards and committees play a crucial role in assisting their FSSPs, but they too may need to get the landscape of funding under their belt to assist in advocacy and legislative changes.
Aiding Small Forensic Service Providers
Moderator: Laura Combs, Associate Professor of Forensic Science at the University of New Haven
This panel would be focused on the unique considerations of smaller/less resourced laboratories that operate as a forensic service provider to their leadership - medical examiners, police departments, and sheriff's offices. Understanding the complex resource allocation and policy approval networks faced by laboratory leadership at this level will give board members insight to regarding their operations to assist their advisory and governance work.
Smith V. Arizona
Speakers: Marissa Bluestine, Assistant Director of the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Jon Eliason, Division Chief of the Major Offenders Division, Maricopa County Attorney's Office in Arizona
Join us for a timely and in-depth panel on Smith V. Arizona, the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that redefines the boundaries of forensic testimony and the Confrontation Clause. This session will bring together legal scholars, forensic science leaders, and practicing attorneys to examine the implications of the ruling for crime lab operations, expert witness protocols, and defendant rights. Panelists will explore how Smith shifts the standards for surrogate testimony, affects lab report admissibility, and may prompt changes in both courtroom practice and forensic lab policies nationwide. Attendees will gain practical insights into how to ensure compliance while maintaining scientific integrity and trial fairness.
Firearms and Toolmark Evidence
Speakers: John Maciulla, Crime Laboratory Manager at the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s Southern Regional Crime Laboratory
Henry Swofford (tentative), Lead Scientist for the Forensic Science Research Program in NIST’s Special Programs Office
ANAB/A2LA: ISO 21043 element
This session will cover developments in firearms and toolmark comparison, including the new ad-hoc committee, the AFTE Procedural Support Committee, which will support accreditation and quality assurance practices. NIST is conducting a study of method conformance in Texas among firearms examiners. Together, this panel will examine the rapidly evolving framework for firearms and toolmark examination standards and broader improvements to enhance the reliability and validity of forensic work.
October 20-21, 2025
University of New Haven, CT
October 20-21, 2025
University of New Haven, CT
October 20-21, 2025
University of New Haven, CT
October 20-21, 2025
University of New Haven, CT
Opinion Standards for Pattern Evidence
Speakers: John Paul Jones, Forensic Science Standards Program Manager in the Special Programs Office at the National Institute of Standards and Technology
Peter Valentin, Associate Professor and Chair of the Forensic Science Department at the University of New Haven’s Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences
ISO Technical Committee 272 has developed draft standards that include requirements relating to qualitative opinions and the use of opinion scales. This panel will discuss the background of pattern evidence evaluative standards using bloodstain pattern evidence as a specific example.
October 20-21, 2025
University of New Haven, CT
Facilitating Transparency through Collaboration and Psychological Safety: The Role of Forensic Science Boards
Speakers: Amy Watroba, Executive Director of the Illinois Forensic Science Commission
Lynn Garcia, General Counsel at Texas Forensic Science Commission
Leigh Tomlin, Associate General Counsel at Texas Forensic Science Commission
Rana Dellarocco, Chief of Science and Evidence, Baltimore Police Department
Moderated by Sarah Chu of NAFSB. This panel explores how Forensic Science Boards (FSBs) can foster the conditions necessary for meaningful transparency in forensic science, not through authority or mandates, but through the cultivation of collaboration, trust, and psychological safety. Drawing on the diverse experiences of leaders from multiple jurisdictions, the session highlights practical strategies that enable voluntary self-disclosure, public reporting, and open communication. Panelists will share how they promoted transparency within their systems, including:
Illinois FSC development of a state nonconformance report
Texas FSC efforts to build trust with laboratories, facilitate a robust self-disclosure process, and publish Quality Incident Reports (QIRs) with laboratory cooperation.
Research on harassment and bullying in forensic science workplaces and examining how organizational culture affects willingness to disclose errors or misconduct.
Together, these perspectives demonstrate how FSBs can act as catalysts for cultural change—creating supportive environments where transparency is not just possible, but sustainable.
October 20-21, 2025
University of New Haven, CT
Establishment of Commission/Board
Speaker: Janis Puracal, Executive Director of the Forensic Justice Project
The concept of an independent commission/advisory board is growing across the country, but some states have yet to establish anything similar. This presentation will discuss the challenges stakeholders may face when trying to establish a commission/board and ideas for how to address those challenges. The presentation will specifically include time for attendees to engage in sharing ideas for how established commissions/boards can support those states that are struggling to make progress.
October 20-21, 2025
University of New Haven, CT
Artificial Intelligence
This panel will explore the rapidly expanding role of artificial intelligence (AI) in forensic science, from automating evidence analysis to enhancing investigative decision-making. Panelists will examine current applications—such as AI-driven pattern recognition in fingerprints, digital forensics, and image enhancement—while addressing the ethical, legal, and technical challenges that accompany their adoption. Discussion will include strategies for ensuring transparency, minimizing bias, and maintaining scientific validity in AI-assisted processes, as well as the implications for accreditation, courtroom admissibility, and oversight. Attendees will gain insight into how forensic science boards can proactively evaluate and guide the integration of AI to improve efficiency and accuracy without compromising the integrity of the justice system.
Rapid DNA
This panel spotlights the National Technology Validation and Implementation Collaborative (NTVIC)—a groundbreaking, independent consortium of publicly funded forensic laboratory leaders, academic researchers, and industry partners united to accelerate the validation and deployment of new forensic technologies. Since its establishment in 2022, NTVIC has pioneered efforts like its Rapid DNA Technical Validation Working Group, fostering a shared infrastructure for validation, training, policies, and implementation across jurisdictions. Participants will explore how NTVIC’s model—including resource pooling, working group formation, and peer-reviewed method dissemination—is reshaping the landscape of forensic oversight and how forensic science boards can leverage this collaborative framework to enhance national quality and readiness.
Review of Colorado Forensic Providers
This panel will examine the findings and policy implications of the Colorado forensic science review. Attendees will gain insights relating to Colorado’s forensic services reform initiative. The discussion will examine how to guide reforms to ensure quality, accountability, and transparency in state crime laboratory operations.
October 20-21, 2025
University of New Haven, CT