The 2017 Topics in Forensic Science Conference SETTING YOUR SIGHTS ON FIREARMS IDENTIFICATION & INVESTIGATION

Wednesday, April 26 - Friday, April 28

Day 1 Speaker Biographies continued on reverse

Day 1 SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES | Wednesday, April 26 (Presenters listed in the order in which they will present)

Luis A. Sanchez, M.D.Executive Director & Chief Medical Examiner Harris County Institute of Forensic SciencesDr. Luis A. Sanchez joined the Harris County Medical Examiner staff in June 2001 as the Senior Deputy Chief Medical Examiner. He became Interim Chief in October 2002, and was appointed Chief Medical

Examiner of Harris County effective January 1, 2003. On March 9, 2013, Harris County Commissioners Court approved his title being changed to Executive Director & Chief Medical Examiner to reflect his expanded role overseeing both the Medical Examiner and Crime Laboratory services for Harris County. He received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1988 and specialized in Anatomic Pathology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. He completed a fellowship in Forensic Pathology at the Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office in Miami, Florida. Dr. Sanchez is certified by the American Board of Pathology in both Anatomic and Forensic Pathology. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the College of American Pathologists and a member of the National Association of Medical Examiners.

Roger Kahn, Ph.D., F-ABCCrime Laboratory Director Harris County Institute of Forensic SciencesDr. Roger Kahn joined the Institute in 2005 as the director of Forensic Biology and currently works as the Crime Laboratory director. In addition, he serves as a clinical associate professor in the Department

of Pathology and Immunology of the Baylor College of Medicine and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Pathology of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Dr. Kahn earned his Ph.D. in human genetics from Yale University and joined the Miami-Dade Police Department to help establish one of the first forensic DNA laboratories in the nation. He was later employed by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation where he served as director of the state's three crime laboratories. For 15 years, Dr. Kahn participated in the development of national standards for DNA testing as part of the FBI's Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods. He is a past president of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD), and an FBI and ASCLD/LAB DNA assessor who has conducted numerous DNA laboratory audits. Dr. Kahn is the author of more than a dozen publications in basic DNA research and the use of DNA in the forensic laboratory. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Forensic Sciences for 10 years.

Robert Baldwin, B.S., J.D., FA-AFTEFirearms Identification Laboratory Manager Harris County Institute of Forensic SciencesRobert Baldwin earned his Bachelor of Science from Wheaton College and his Juris Doctor from Lewis University College of Law. Mr. Baldwin has more than 35 years of experience working in several different

forensic disciplines with the last 27 years devoted to firearms identification. Prior to joining the Harris County of Institute of Forensic Sciences, he worked for the Houston Police Crime Laboratory as the manager of the Firearms Laboratory, the Utah Department of Public Safety and the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office. Mr. Baldwin has been admitted to the practice of law in both Illinois and Utah, and worked for several years as a prosecutor and later as a criminal defense attorney in Kane County, Illinois.

Jill Dupré, B.A., FA-AFTEFirearms Examiner I Harris County Institute of Forensic SciencesJill Dupré has more than 28 years of experience working in several different forensic disciplines. She began her career in a private forensic laboratory in Ft. Worth serving the metroplex area and surrounding

areas for both private, local, state and federal agencies. She also worked for the City of Houston for approximately 10 years prior to joining the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) in 2002. In spring 2013, the HCSO Firearms Laboratory transferred to the Institute, and Ms. Dupré became a member of the Harris County Firearms Identification Laboratory under the leadership of Institute of Forensic Sciences. Ms. Dupré earned a Bachelor of Arts in Microbiology from The University of Texas in Austin. She is also a graduate of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives National Firearms Examiner Academy, where she has returned as an instructor for the past 12 years. Ms. Dupré is a member of the Association of Firearm and Tool Mark Examiners, American Academy of Forensic Scientists Standards Board, past-president of the Southwestern Association of Forensic Scientists and the American Chemical Society.

Allen “Ben” BealSergeant-Homicide Division Harris County Sheriff’s OfficeAllen Beall is a Sergeant with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Division. He has 36 years of law enforcement experience and has spent the last 22 years assigned to the Homicide Unit.

Raquel Pipkin, B.S.Firearms Examiner II Harris County Institute of Forensic SciencesRaquel Pipkin earned a Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science from Baylor University in 2004. In 2006, she joined the United States Army and served four years as a Combat Medic. In 2011, she was employed as

a Firearms Examiner for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Division of Forensic Sciences in both Atlanta and Midland, Georgia, for three years. In 2014, Ms. Pipkin joined the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences as a Firearms Examiner III and was promoted to Firearms Examiner II in 2015.

Dawn LaPorte, B.S.Firearms Examiner II Harris County Institute of Forensic SciencesDawn LaPorte graduated from the University of Houston in Clear Lake in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She worked for the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences’ Forensic Genetics

Laboratory from 2007 to 2008, then joined the Pasadena Police Department Regional Crime Laboratory from 2008 to 2012. During this time, Ms. LaPorte trained at the National Firearm Examiner’s Academy, a year-long school program sponsored by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, designed specifically to train new firearms and toolmark examiners. She became a qualified firearms examiner in September 2011. In September 2012, she was hired by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office as a Firearms Examiner III, and in spring 2013, became a member of the Harris County Firearms Identification Laboratory, under the leadership of the Institute of Forensic Sciences. In summer 2014, Ms. LaPorte was promoted to Firearms Examiner II.

The 2017 Topics In Forensic Science Conference | SETTING YOUR SIGHTS ON FIREARMS IDENTIFICATION & INVESTIGATION | Wednesday, April 26 - Friday, April 28

Day 1 SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES cont'd | Wednesday, April 26

1861 Old Spanish Trail | Houston, Texas 77054 | ifs.harriscountytx.gov

Gregory AlvarezSpecial Agent Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Gregory Alvarez is a Special Agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and is a court-recognized expert in the manufacture and interstate movement of firearms and ammunition. His

career spans almost 25 years as an ATF agent. He is currently assigned to one of the Houston, Texas Field Offices. He spent his first 12 years in the San Antonio Field Office. He has led or been an integral part of investigations ranging from domestic terrorism and foreign counterintelligence to street gangs and firearms trafficking. He has spent the majority of his career in the study of firearms with an emphasis on National Firearms Act weapons. He is also a firearms instructor and a use of force instructor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Stephen F. Austin State University. He is married to an ATF Group Supervisor and is the son of a retired ATF agent.

Thomas Downs, M.S.Forensic Evidence Manager Harris County Institute of Forensic SciencesThomas Downs joined the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences in April 2015 and has more than 20 years experience working in Property and Evidence Management. Prior to joining the Institute, Mr. Downs

worked as the Lead Evidence Custodian for the U.S. Armed Forces Crime Lab in Bagram, Afghanistan and was the lead Evidence Custodian for the El Paso Sheriff’s Office from which he retired in 2012. In addition to his experience in Property and Evidence Management, Mr. Downs was a Criminal Justice Instructor at the University of Phoenix and served 10 years in U.S. Army. Mr. Downs earned his Master of Science in Criminal Justice in 2006 and is certified as a Property and Evidence Specialist by the International Association of Property and Evidence.

Sean Tokay, B.S.Firearms Examiner III Harris County Institute of Forensic SciencesSean Tokay joined the Institute in February 2015 as a Contract IBIS Support Technician in the Firearms Identification Laboratory before becoming an employee with the Institute in April of the same year.

In September 2015, he was promoted to Firearms Examiner III. Prior to the Institute, Mr. Tokay completed an internship at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Crime Laboratory in Orlando, Florida, as part of his degree program. Mr. Tokay earned his Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science from the University of Central Florida.

The 2017 Topics in Forensic Science Conference SETTING YOUR SIGHTS ON FIREARMS IDENTIFICATION & INVESTIGATION

Wednesday, April 26 - Friday, April 28

Dwayne A. Wolf, M.D., Ph.D.Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Harris County Institute of Forensic SciencesDr. Dwayne A. Wolf joined the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences in 2001. In his role as Deputy Chief Medical Examiner for Harris County, he oversees the death investigation aspects of the

office, supervising a staff of 14 forensic pathologists and monitoring daily activities in the morgue. Prior to the Institute, he served as a state medical examiner at the Region IV Office of the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Mobile, Alabama, from 1999 to 2001. Dr. Wolf holds medical licenses in Alabama and Texas and is certified by the American Board of Pathology in Anatomic and Forensic Pathology. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the College of American Pathologists and a member of the National Association of Medical Examiners. Dr. Wolf graduated from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and attended the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, earning a Doctor of Philosophy in Molecular Biology and Doctor of Medicine in 1993. His Anatomic Pathology residency training was at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. Dr. Wolf completed his Forensic Pathology training at the Dade County Medical Examiner's Office in Miami, Florida, in 1999.

Jorn (Chi Chung) Yu, Ph.D., D-ABCAnalytical Chemist/Associate Professor Sam Houston State University-Department of Forensic ScienceDr. Jorn Yu is an analytical chemist specializing in forensic science. He earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science both in Forensic Science from

Central Police University in Taiwan. From 1994 to 2002, he worked as a forensic scientist at Forensic Science Center in Taipei, Taiwan. Dr. Yu was hired as a tenure-track assistant professor after he received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, in 2006. Dr. Yu is currently an associate professor with the Department of Forensic Science at Sam Houston State University. Dr. Yu was promoted to Fellow with the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in 2014. He also holds a forensic certificate (Diplomat-ABC) with the American Board of Criminalistics in the certification area of comprehensive criminalistics. His research interest is in trace evidence examination and crime scene reconstruction. The ultimate goal in his research laboratory is to develop investigative intelligence by forensic analysis of physical evidence.

Pamela J. Zelbst, Ph.D.Associate Professor Sam Houston State University-College of Business Administration, Center for Innovation & Technology Sower Business Technology LaboratoryDr.Pamela J. Zelbst is an Associate Professor at Sam Houston State University in the College of Business

Administration. In addition to teaching, she serves as the Director for the Center for Innovation & Technology and the Sower Business Technology Laboratory. She is tasked with identifying and acquiring platform technologies that will have a significant impact on a wide variety of industries. She has authored and co-authored more than 20 published articles, 30 conference papers, and is currently working on the second edition of her book on Radio Frequency Identification. She has been an invited speaker at the Industry Studies Conference sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the NASA RFID Connectivity Event, and at a Tech Champs Event at Johnson Space Center sponsored by the Houston Technology Center.

Jennifer Turner, MSFS, FA-AFTEFirearms Examiner I Harris County Institute of Forensic SciencesJennifer Turner graduated from Baylor University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science and from Sam Houston State University in 2005 with a Master of Science in Forensic Science. Ms. Turner

joined the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) in June 2006 as an IBIS Support Technician and was promoted to Firearms Examiner in October 2007. In March of 2013, the HCSO Firearms Laboratory became part of the Institute of Forensic Sciences, at which time Ms. Turner became a member of the Harris County Firearms Identification Laboratory under the leadership of the Institute. Ms. Turner is currently a Firearms Examiner I, and is certified by the Association of Firearm and Toolmark Examiners in Firearms Evidence Examination and Identification.

Carey Alvarez Bacha, M.S., F-ABC, FA-AFTEFirearms Examiner III Harris County Institute of Forensic SciencesCarey Alvarez Bacha earned her Master of Science in Forensic Science from the University of New Haven in Connecticut and joined the Harris County Institute

of Forensic Sciences Firearms Identification Laboratory in June 2013. She has more than six years of experience as a trained Firearms Examiner. Ms. Alvarez Bacha is a certified Fellow of the American Board of Criminalistics (ABC) and serves on the ABC Recertification Committee. She most recently received her Firearms certification through the Association of Firearm and Toolmark Examiners (AFTE). Ms. Alvarez Bacha is a member of the Association of Firearm and Tool Mark Examiners Editorial Committee and Training Manual Subcommittee, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, and the Southwestern Association of Forensic Scientists. She served as the Firearms Identification Liaison for the 2017 Topics in Forensic Science Conference.

Dimika V. Cavalier, MFS, F-ABCQA/QC Project Coordinator Harris County Institute of Forensic SciencesDimika V. Cavalier earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Hampton University and a Master of Forensic Sciences from National University. Ms. Cavalier currently works as a QA/QC Project

Coordinator within the Quality Management Division of the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. Prior to this position, she was employed as a Forensic Chemist in the Drug Chemistry Laboratory within the Institute for eight years. She also worked as a Drug Chemist and Trace Evidence Examiner with the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences at Dallas County. She is a member of the Southwestern Association of Forensic Scientists, certified as a Drug Analysis Fellow by the American Board of Criminalistics and serves on the Recertification Committee and a Certified Technical Assessor for ASCLD/LAB-International.

Day 2 SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES | Thursday, April 27 (Presenters listed in the order in which they will present)

Day 2 Speaker Biographies continued on reverse

The 2017 Topics In Forensic Science Conference | SETTING YOUR SIGHTS ON FIREARMS IDENTIFICATION & INVESTIGATION | Wednesday, April 26 - Friday, April 28

Day 2 SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES cont'd | Thursday, April 27

1861 Old Spanish Trail | Houston, Texas 77054 | ifs.harriscountytx.gov

Tammy Lyons, B.S.Firearms Examiner III Harris County Institute of Forensic SciencesTammy Lyons joined the Institute's Firearms Identification Laboratory in May 2013. Prior to her employment with the Institute, Ms. Lyons worked for the Houston Police Department Crime Laboratory

in the Firearms Section for more than five years. Ms. Lyons has also worked for the Virginia Department of Forensic Sciences as a Forensic Evidence Specialist in the Firearms Laboratory. Ms. Lyons graduated from Waynesburg College in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science.

Paul Fortenberry, J.D.Chief-Major Narcotics Division Harris County District Attorney’s OfficePaul Fortenberry is the Chief of the Major Narcotics Division for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office in Houston, Texas. He earned his J.D. degree from the University of Baltimore, School of Law, and he has been with the Harris County District Attorney’s office since 2006. Mr. Fortenberry has prosecuted several hundred legal cases involving firearms, including capital murder cases. He is a member of the Texas State Bar and the Houston Bar Association.

Roger P. Milton, Jr., M.D.Assistant Medical Examiner Harris County Institute of Forensic SciencesDr. Roger P. Milton, Jr., graduated from Howard University in Washington, D.C., with his M.D. degree in 1992. Dr. Milton completed a medical internship in 1993 and a residency program in anatomic and

clinical pathology in 1997. Dr. Milton completed a fellowship in forensic pathology at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Maryland in 1998. Dr. Milton joined the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences in 1998. During his tenure at the Institute, Dr. Milton has been the leading force in the acclaimed “Saving Our Kids” program. The anti-drug and alcohol message of this program has touched the lives of hundreds of youth throughout Harris County and surrounding areas.

Garrett Phillips, M.D.Assistant Medical Examiner Harris County Institute of Forensic SciencesDr. Garrett Phillips graduated from Baylor University in 2006 with a B.A. through the University Scholars Program, and received his M.D. from Baylor College of Medicine in 2010. He completed his residency

training in anatomic and clinical pathology at Baylor College of Medicine in 2014 and his fellowship training in forensic pathology at the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office in 2015. Dr. Phillips is certified by the American Board of Pathology in Anatomic, Clinical, and Forensic Pathology. After inheriting a "Bring Back" Arisaka Type 99 from his grandfather, he developed an interest in firearm history, development, and ballistics, and has learned enough to be dangerous.

Christian Crowder, Ph.D., D-ABFADirector of Forensic Anthropology Harris County Institute of Forensic SciencesDr. Christian Crowder has more than 16 years of experience in the field of Forensic Anthropology and is the Director of the Forensic Anthropology Division for the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences

in Houston, Texas. Previously he worked as the Chief Anthropologist for the Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, which is the center of medical-legal investigations for the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System (AFMES). Prior to accepting the position with AFMES, Dr. Crowder was the Deputy Director of Forensic Anthropology Unit for the Office of Chief Medical Examiner-New York City. Dr. Crowder has also worked as an anthropologist for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency formally known as the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command Central Identification Laboratory (JPAC-CIL) in Hawaii and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. In addition to his practitioner duties, Dr. Crowder is adjunct faculty at Pace University in New York City and at the University of Toronto, Ontario. Dr. Crowder earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Biological Anthropology from the University of Toronto, Canada, and a Master of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Jason Schroeder, M.S., MBATrace Evidence Manager Harris County Institute of Forensic SciencesJason Schroeder currently serves as the Trace Evidence Laboratory Manager. He joined the Institute of Forensic Sciences in 2000 and has held several positions throughout the laboratory including

toxicology, drug chemistry, and trace collection evidence team leader. He currently serves on the Organization of Scientific Area Committees Gunshot Residue Subcommittee, which seeks to coordinate development of standards and guidelines for the forensic community. Mr. Schroeder is an active member of several professional organizations including the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the American Society of Crime Lab Directors. He holds an adjunct faculty position at University of Houston-Clear Lake. As a retired Senior Non-Commissioned Officer in the United States Air Force he has an extensive experience in several theaters including South America, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Middle East.

Robert Baldwin, B.S., J.D., FA-AFTEFirearms Identification Laboratory Manager Harris County Institute of Forensic SciencesRobert Baldwin earned his Bachelor of Science from Wheaton College and his Juris Doctor from Lewis University College of Law. Mr. Baldwin has more than 35 years of experience working in several different

forensic disciplines with the last 27 years devoted to firearms identification. Prior to joining the Harris County of Institute of Forensic Sciences, he worked for the Houston Police Crime Laboratory as the manager of the Firearms Laboratory, the Utah Department of Public Safety and the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office. Mr. Baldwin has been admitted to the practice of law in both Illinois and Utah, and worked for several years as a prosecutor and later as a criminal defense attorney in Kane County, Illinois.

The 2017 Topics in Forensic Science Conference SETTING YOUR SIGHTS ON FIREARMS IDENTIFICATION & INVESTIGATION

Wednesday, April 26 - Friday, April 28

Day 3 FEATURED PRESENTER BIO | Friday, April 28 Lucien C. “Luke” HaagIndependent Forensic Consultant Criminalistics/Forensic Firearms Examination, Forensic Science Services, Inc.Lucien C. “Luke” Haag is a former Criminalist and Technical Director of the Phoenix Crime Laboratory (1965-1982)with more than 50 years of experience in the field of criminalistics and forensic firearm examinations. Presently he is an independent forensic consultant with his own company, Forensic Science Services, Inc., in Carefree, Arizona.

Mr. Haag earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with minors in Math and Physics from the University of California at Berkeley with subsequent forensic training at California State University at Long Beach, Indiana University, Arizona State University, McCrone Research Institute, the FBI Laboratory and FBI Forensic Training Facility at Quantico, VA.

He is a Distinguished Member and past-president of Association of Firearm and Toolmark Examiners, a Distinguished Member of the California Association of Criminalists, a member of the Southwest Association of Forensic Scientists, a Fellow in the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and a past board member of the International Wound Ballistics Association.

Mr. Haag has authored and presented more than 200 scientific papers, most of which have dealt with various exterior and terminal ballistic properties, effects and behavior of projectiles and is the author of the book Shooting Incident Reconstruction available from Elsevier/Academic Press (2006) now out in its second edition (2011), and co-authored by his younger son, Michael Haag.

He has worked on a number of high-profile and historic cases including the ballistics aspects of the Kennedy Assassination (PBS-NOVA “Cold Case:JFK”), a re-examination of the evidence in the Lindbergh Kidnapping case, newly discovered evidence in the assassination of Huey Long of Louisiana, the death of Meriwether Lewis, the Randy Weaver Case in Northern Idaho, the Bloody Sunday shootings in Londonderry Northern Ireland, the Tom Horn case in Wyoming, the Temple Murders in Phoenix, Arizona and others.

1861 Old Spanish Trail | Houston, Texas 77054 | ifs.harriscountytx.gov