When I became a police officer in 1991, I never imagined I would be president of the Wisconsin
Association for Identification, much less twice. The journey that brought me here has been a
wonderful experience and has included 30 years in law enforcement, with the last 21 years
working as a crime scene detective that began at the Wauwatosa Police Department. I recently
retired in 2019, but continue teaching crime scene processing classes at Waukesha County
Technical College.

I joined the WAI in 2002 and was elected to the board of directors in 2005. In 2011, I was elected
and served as the WAI president. That same year, our parent body, had their conference in
Milwaukee and it was there that I started my journey at the international level. I was elected to
the board of directors of the International Association for Identification in 2011. In 2018, I was
elected the 104th president of the IAI, which is still the largest forensic organization in the world.
This is an opportunity few are given and is a tremendous honor and privilege. I am blessed also
with being elected as the International Representative to the IAI, which gives me the opportunity
to have a close working relationship with those at the international level making decisions for the
greater good of the forensic community throughout the world.

One of the goals I set was advocating for what would become the Coverdell National Forensic
Science Improvement Grants Program, which awards grants to state and local governments to
help improve forensic science services. As a representative of the IAI, I followed legislation
regarding the program, met with Wisconsin Congressman James Sensenbrenner, wrote letters of
support, and encouraged my fellow members from the WAI to do the same. The Coverdell
Program has been in existence now for numerous years and is of great benefit to the forensic
science community.

Exciting things are happening in the WAI. We recently held our 57 th annual educational
conference in Appleton, Wisconsin, which was a great success and attended by almost 125
people from all over the state with presenters from different parts of the country. This shows the
importance of education and the sharing of information of a common interest that affects all who
use forensics in the search for the truth.

One of my goals for the upcoming term is to continue informing and educating people about the
WAI. Also, I want to interact and communicate with our various committees, which is where
much of the day-to-day work of the WAI is accomplished by our dedicated members.

I look forward to serving the WAI as president and encourage you to contact me with concerns or
suggestions.

​