LAUSR

During my involvement with the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS, Academy), I have had the privilege of meeting professionals from disparate forensic backgrounds and from all points around the globe, and of learning what their collective training and experiences offer to the Academy. These interactions, in conjunction with the research results provided by our Journal's many contributors, are among the things I have enjoyed and valued most in my professional career. For those who may not be familiar with my own background, I began my professional forensic life in 1991, obtaining my initial forensic and law enforcement training at the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) forensic science laboratory and the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. In 1996, I joined the Department of Justice's (DOJ’s) Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) forensic science laboratory in Atlanta, Georgia. That year I also joined the Academy and began my leadership service to the Questioned Documents Section in 2009 as Section Secretary, after having received the Section's Ordway Hilton Award in 2006 for contributions to Forensic Document Examination. One of my goals as Academy President has been to encourage those in the forensic community, regardless of membership level or experience, to participate more fully by offering contemporary ways in which they can engage in Academy life. I chose my theme, “A Responsive Academy– Meeting and Surpassing the Challenges of a Modern Forensic World,” to impart the continued efforts in meeting the needs of a growing Academy and to encourage the development of streamlined methods of member engagement. My theme can be summarized simply as “expanding our reach,” and we as an Academy have taken steps over the past several years to do just that.