Scope & Range of Services

Certifications: Passed a 240 item cognitive examination and an 8 item performance examination and was awarded board certification by the Board of Forensic Document Examiners in 2003.

Certified by the National Association of Document Examiners in 1997 after completion of written and oral examinations.

Experience: Private practice for 18 years examining cases from North Carolina and 31 other states, as well as Canada, China, Ireland, England, and Saudi Arabia. Accepted as an expert witness and testified in state civil and criminal courts in North Carolina, Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Washington D.C., and in federal court; appointed by state and federal courts

Proficiency: Collaborative Testing Services Forensic Handwriting Identification and Document Examination Testing Program, Herndon, VA, 1998, 1999 & 2000. These tests are prepared in cooperation with the Questioned Document Section - American Academy of Forensic Sciences. CTS tests forensic laboratories in 55 countries worldwide.

In 2001 and 2002 participated successfully in the Handwriting Identification proficiency testing program of the Forensic Expertise Profiling Laboratory at Latrobe University in Australia. Results available upon request.

Professional Associations: Member of the National Association of Document Examiners. Appointed Education Chairman and member of the Board of Directors of NADE in 1997. Editor of the NADE Journal from 1998 to 2003. Elected 2nd Vice-President in 2000 and 1st Vice-President in 2003.

Member of the Association of Forensic Document Examiners (AFDE) Elected Secretary in 2004.

Member of the International Graphonomics Society - a society for the science and technology of handwriting and other graphic skills.

Member of the ASTM, International Subcommittee E 30.02 on Questioned Documents.

Education: BS in Education - Syracuse University, 1969
MA in Counseling - Syracuse University, 1970

Training: Completed the Questioned Document program of Mr. Felix Klein (1985-86) including course work and examinations in the field of Questioned Document Examination. Mr. Klein was a document examiner with 40 years experience, serving as a consultant to the United Nations and testifying in many foreign countries, as well as in the U.S.

As a student, examined hundreds of groups of handwritings and typewritings, participated in examinations of then current cases, and assisted in preparation of exhibits and court testimony. Cases involved anonymous letters, questioned insurance claims, check signatures and endorsements, wills, deeds of trust, medical records, and other documents where questions involving handwriting, typewriting, obliteration, alteration, impressions, journal entries, etc., were answered.

Equipment: American Optical Document Comparison Microscope (7x-25x) with photo and video attachments, Bausch and Lomb Stereo Zoom 5 Microscope (8x-160x) with 2x lens and both 10x and 20x eyepieces, Trident Trinocular Zoom Microscope, Monolux portable microscope, Foster and Freeman VSC-4 Video Spectral Comparator, Vacu-Box Indentation Materializer, light table, ultra-violet light sources and viewing box, fiber optic light pen and ring light, glass alignment plates, Olympus 35mm camera with lenses, extension tubes and filters, Eschenbach illuminated magnification system with precision measuring scale, digital paper micrometer, Nikon 5700 Digital camera, Wratten filters, Ken-A-Vision video-microscopy system with computer interface, pentium based computer, UMAX scanner, MICS (Measurement of Internal Consistency Software) density modeling software, SuperVision Video Inspection System

Continuing Education: Continuing education through journals, workshops and seminars. Attended the 3-4 day NADE conferences in 1996 through 2004. Additionally, in 1988, 1989, 1993, 1996, 1999 and 2003 attended the Scientific Sessions of the Questioned Document Section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Also, attended the Symposium of the Association of Forensic Document Examiners in 2001 through 2004 and the Questioned Document Subcommitee (E30.02) meeting of the ASTM, International in 2002 through 2004.

Attended the 4 day workshop, Printing Process Identification and Image Analysis for Forensic Document Examiners at Rochester Institute of Technology in June, 2001 and June, 2002.

Library: Professional library containing over 500 articles and monographs and 50 plus books on the subjects of handwriting identification and document examination.

Courses: August, 2004 - By invitation, prepared and taught a one week (45 hours of instruction, 3 credits awarded) course entitled “Introduction to Document Examination Equipment” at College Notre-Dame-de-Foy in Quebec, Canada.

Publications: Article: Seeing is Believing – Exhibits from the Perspective of the Forensic Document Examiner Illinois Law Enforcement Executive Forum, Vol. 2, #3, August, 2002

Article: Handwriting, Biometrics and Significance: Concepts in Handwriting Identification Journal of the National Association of Document Examiners, Summer, 2001

Article: The Microscope - Through the Looking Glass- Chemistry in Australia - (Royal Society of Chemists in Australia) May, 2000

Article: A Discussion of Dandy Rolls and Watermarks - co-authored with Mr. Robert Johnson, Journal of the National Association of Document Examiners, Fall, 1999

Article: Ink Differentiation with Digital Photography, Journal of the National Association of Document Examiners, Spring, 1999 and International Journal of Forensic Document Examination., 1999

Article: Medical Records Case Solved Photographically, Journal of the National Association of Document Examiners, Spring, 1998

Article: Good Standards in Document Examination Cases, Trial Briefs (North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers), Summer, 1988 issue

Presentations: Case Notes NADE Conference, 2003
Importing Science AFDE Symposium, 2002
The Electromagnetic Spectrum NADE Conference, 2002
Line Sequence and MICS - Research in Progress AFDE Symposium, 2001
Research in Document Examination NADE Conference, 2001
Handwriting, Biometrics and Significance NADE Conference, 2000
New Equipment for the Document Examiner NADE Conference, 1999
Tremor in Handwriting NADE Conference 1998, co-presented with Beryl Gilbertson, M.A. C.Crim.,
Document Examination and the Internet NADE Conference, 1997