Scope & Range of Services

Certification: 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. The BFDE certification process is accredited by the Forensic Specialties Accreditation Board.

Passed written and oral examinations; awarded board certification by the National Association of Document Examiners in 1997.

Received designation of Certified Fraudulent Document Examiner by AllRegs Academy in 2008.

Experience: Private practice for 24 years examining cases from North Carolina and 41 other states, as well as internationally. Accepted as an expert witness and testified in state civil and/or criminal courts in eleven states, and in federal court; appointed by state and federal courts

Proficiency: 1998-2000, 2005-2010 participated successfully in proficiency testing in Handwriting Examination or Document Examination. Collaborative Testing Services of Herndon, VA

2001-2008 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, and President, of the Association of Forensic Document Examiners (AFDE).
- Member of the National Association of Document Examiners (NADE).
- 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
- Director, Forensic Specialties Accreditation Board (FSAB) - 2008-present

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

Training:
Studied 1 1/2 years (1985-86) as a private student of Mr. Felix Klein, during which completed work, and examinations in the field of Document Examination. Mr. Klein, a document examiner with 40 years experience, served as a consultant to the United
Nations and testified in many foreign countries, and 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.

Seminars in Printing Process Identification and Image Analysis for Forensic Examiners at Rochester Institute of Technology in June 2001 and 2002.

Certified MICS (Measurement of Internal Consistencies Software) user after attending training in September 2001 and February 2003.

Fundamentals of Microscopy for Forensic Document Examiners at the McCrone Institute College of Microscopy - August 24, 2005

Advanced Fraudulent Document Recognition, AllRegs Academy, August 21-23, 2008

Continuing Education: Continuing education through journals, workshops and seminars. Attended the AFDE 3-4 day Symposia in 2002-2010 and the NADE 3-4 day conferences in 1996-2010. In 1988, 1989, 1993, 1996, 1999 and 2003 attended the annual
Scientific Sessions of the Questioned Document Section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and technical workshops in 2007 and 2009. Also attended the ASTM E30.02 subcommittee meeting in 2002-2008.

Equipment: American Optical Document Comparison Microscope (7X-25X), Bausch and Lomb Stereozoom5 microscope (8X-160X), Foster and Freeman VSC-4c Video Spectral Comparator, ESDA-Lite Indentation Materializer, Eschenbach illuminated
magnification system with precision measuring scale, Mac/PC computers, scanners

Library: Professional library containing over 1000 articles and monographs and 50+ books on the subjects of handwriting identification and document examination.

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

Article: Medical Records Case Solved Photographically, NADE Journal, Spring, 1998

Article: Ink Differentiation with Digital Photography, NADE Journal, Spring, 1999 and International Journal of Forensic Document Examination. 1999

Article: A Discussion of Dandy Rolls and Watermarks - co-author Mr. Robert Johnson , NADE Journal, Fall, 1999

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

Article: Handwriting, Biomechanics and Significance: Concepts in Handwriting

Identification, NADE Journal, Summer 2001

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

Article: Micrometry Using a Calibrated Ocular Reticule; co-author Mr. Joseph Barabe, NADE Journal, 2005

Article: Wake Up to the Wacom™ Tablet - Journal of Forensic Document Examination – Vol. 17, 2004-2005

Article: Progress in Digital Microscopy - A Technical Review of the MiScope Digital Microscope - Journal of Forensic Document Examination - Vol. 20, 2010

Academic:
August, 2004-2005 - Prepared/taught course (45 hrs instruction, 3 credits) entitled “Introduction to Document Examination Equipment” at College Notre-Dame-de- Foy in Quebec, Canada.

2008 – Appointed Adjunct Professor at Eastern Tennessee State University, Criminal Justice

2008 – Appointed Adjunct Instructor - College of Microscopy in Westmont, llinois

Presentations:
Handwriting, Biomechanics and Significance - 2000 NADE Conference
Research for the Document Examiner - 2001 NADE Conference
Line Sequence and MICS – Research in Progress – 2001 AFDE Symposium
The Electromagnetic Spectrum - 2002 NADE Pre-Conference Workshop
Importing Science - 2002 AFDE Symposium
Three Significant Cases – 2003 NADE Conference
Print Process Identification – 2003 AFDE Symposium, 2004 IAQDE Conference, 2005 NADE Pre-Conference Workshop
Dynamic Trace and Static Trace – 2004 NADE Conference
Establishing the Science of Handwriting Identification – 2004 AFDE Symposium
Speed in Handwriting - 2006 NADE Conference, 2006 AFDE Symposium
Technical Review of the MiScope Digital Microscope - 2009 AFDE Symposium
Speed in Handwriting Research Project - 2010 AFDE Symposiu