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ANJALI R. SWIENTON

CURRENT EMPLOYMENT:
President & CEO
SciLawForensics, Ltd.
Germantown, Maryland

EDUCATION:
Bachelor of Arts Degree - May 1990
The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
Major - Biology

Master of Forensic Science Degree - September 1992
The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
Major - Forensic Science

Juris Doctor Degree - May 2002, cum laude
The American University, Washington College of Law, Washington, D.C.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
December 2002-PresentPresident & CEO
SciLawForensics, Ltd.
Germantown, Maryland
Provide specialized training and education tools and solutions to the criminal justice and law enforcement communities. Provide litigation support for criminal cases involving complex scientific evidence. Consult with variety of organizations including the National Institute of Justice and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), (through Lockheed Martin, Inc. formerly ACS Defense, Inc. and KT Consulting, Inc.), the Office of Victims of Crime (OVC), the National Forensic Science Technology Center (NFSTC), the West Virginia University (WVU) Forensic Science Initiative, the Virginia Institute of Forensic Science and Medicine, and the National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and Law (NCSTL) at Stetson University College of Law, to facilitate and coordinate the development of interactive training and education tools and publications for the criminal justice community. Current projects include the development of a CD-Rom on DNA evidence for officers of the court, a CD-Rom on digital evidence, 2 guides on Internet crime and high technology investigations, the development of a searchable scientific and legal data clearinghouse, the organization of a national conference on science, technology and the law, the development of training criteria for on-site inspectors of forensic science education programs and a guide for computer forensic curricula. Also conduct training on DNA for the SANE/SART DNA for Law Enforcement Program and the COPS Office DNA program.
March 1998 - November 2002Senior Forensic Analyst
ACS Defense, Inc. (formerly Betac Corporation)
Alexandria, Virginia
(Federal Contractor at National Institute of Justice, Office of Science and Technology, Investigative and Forensic Sciences Division, Washington, D.C.)

Provided technical support in the Investigative and Forensic Sciences Division of the Office of Science and Technology, at the National Institute of Justice for the National Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence, various Technical Working Groups (TWG's), including the Technical Working Group on Eyewitness Evidence (TWGEYEE), the Technical Working Group on Fire and Arson Scene Evidence, the Technical Working Group on Training and Education in Forensic Science (TWGED), the Technical Working Group on Digital Evidence in the Courtroom (TWGDEC), and the Technical Working Group on Crime Scene Investigation (TWGCSI), and the Teleforensics Project - a joint venture with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); coordinated and planned four consecutive Annual National Conferences on Science and the Law co-sponsored by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, The American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section, the National Center for State Courts, the Federal Judicial Center, the National Academies and the American Association for the Advancement of Science; provided support for the administration and management of multi-million dollar federal grants to state and local law enforcement agencies, crime laboratories, academic and research institutions, and traveled around the country providing expert testimony for DNA analyses performed while at Cellmark Diagnostics.

April 1992 - March, 1998Staff DNA Analyst
Cellmark Diagnostics
Germantown, Maryland
Performed Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) Analysis in disputed paternity casework (using HinFI) and convicted offender database Project (CODIS) (using HaeIII). Performed Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) analysis including PM, HLA DQA1, STR's and D1S80 in forensic (criminal and civil) casework. Also provided expert testimony for forensic casework in state and federal court.
June 1991 - April 1992Laboratory Assistant
Cellmark Diagnostics
Germantown, Maryland
Accessioned new cases as well as aliquotted all blood samples received in the laboratory. Prepared all stock solutions used in lab work, stocked reagents and supplies, reviewed statistics for lab reports, and performed various customer service related duties.
Sept 1987 - June 1990Chief Technical Assistant
The Johns Hopkins University Department of Chemistry
Baltimore, Maryland
Typed technical manuscripts, answered telephones, xeroxed, created technical viewgraphs for reports, typed other forms of correspondence, bills and filing for the Principal Research Chemist in the Chemistry Department. Supervised four other assistants.
Jan 1990 - June 1990Research Assistant
The Johns Hopkins University Hospital
Baltimore, Maryland
Assisted in AIDS research in the department of immunology and infectious diseases. Harvested T and B cells, radioactivated cells and prepared cell lines for AIDS infection.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:

  • American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Fellow
  • Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists (MAAFS) Member
  • American Bar Association, Criminal Justice and Science and Technology Sections (ABA) Member
  • Maryland State Bar Association Member
  • Montgomery County Bar Association Member
  • International Association for Identification (IAI) Associate Member
  • American Association of Crime Laboratory Directors Applicant

PAPERS:

Word, C.J., Ranadive, A.A., Weber, M.A., and Cotton, R.W. Forensic Casework Analysis using STRs, DQα, and PM in Combination. (1995) Sixth Int’l. Sym. Hum. Ident., Scottsdale, AZ.

Turner, R., Kosa, R., Kubu, B., Swienton, A.R., DNA Forensic Evidence. (2002) Police Executive Research Forum

ABSTRACTS:

Forman, L., Ballmann, R., Campbell, W., Cooper, J.A., Danielsen, L.A., Quandt, K.R., Ranadive, A.A., Stolorow, M.D., Weber, M.A., Word, C.J., and Yates, P.J. Proficiency Testing and DNA Profiling. (1994). AAFS, 46th Ann. Mtg. San Antonio, TX.

Cotton, R.W., Chakraborty, R., Crouse, C., Forman, L., Kriss, J., Ranadive, A.A., Sipes, D.E., Weber, M.A., Weir, B., Word, C.J. (1996) Analysis of Casework Samples Using a Combination of the DQα, PM, and 3 STR loci. 48th Ann. Mtg. Amer. Acad. For. Sci., Nashville, TN.

Reynolds, J.E., Weber, M.A., Colombo, K., Swienton, A.R., Word, C.J., Yates, P.J., Cotton, R.W. DNA Typing of the Transfused Individual. (1997) 47th Ann. Mtg. Amer. Society of Hum. Genet., Baltimore, MD. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 61(4):A1311

OTHER PUBLICATIONS:

FORTHCOMING PUBLICATIONS:

  • Training and Education in Digital Forensics: A Guide for Laboratory Directors, Universities and Students, Research Report, National Institute of Justice, 2007
  • Investigative Uses of Technology: Devices, Tools and Techniques: Research Report, National Institute of Justice, 2007
  • Investigations Involving the Internet and Computer Networks: Research Report, National Institute of Justice, 2007

MEETINGS ATTENDED:

  • 1991 American Association of Blood Banks, Baltimore, MD.
  • 1992 American Association of Blood Banks, San Francisco, CA.
  • 1994 Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists, Virginia Beach, VA.
  • 1996 48th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Nashville, TN.
  • 1997 Cambridge Healthtech Institute's Second Annual Conference of DNA Forensics Science, Evidence, and Future Prospects, McLean, VA.
  • 1998 Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists, Rockville, MD.
  • 1998 National Institute of Justice's 3rd Annual National Conference of the Future of DNA, Chicago, IL.
  • 1998 Office of Justice Programs Annual Conference on Criminal Justice Research and Evaluation, Washington, D.C.
  • 1998 Promega Corporation's 9th International Symposium on Human Identification, Orlando, FL.
  • 1998 Fourth Annual CODIS User's Group Meeting, Arlington, VA.
  • 1999 National Conference on Science and the Law, Co-Sponsored by the National Institute of Justice, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the American Bar Association, the National Center for State Courts, in collaboration with the Federal Judicial Center and the National Academy of Sciences, San Diego, CA.
  • 1999 National Institute of Justice's 4th Annual National Conference of the Future of DNA, Albuquerque, N.M.
  • 1999 Cambridge Healthtech Institute's Third Annual DNA Forensics, Tyson's Corner, VA.
  • 1999 Promega Corporation's 10th International Symposium on Human Identification, Orlando, FL.
  • 1999 Fifth Annual CODIS User's Group Meeting, Arlington, VA.
  • 1999 Fourth Annual Conference on Forensic Statistics, Raleigh, N.C.
  • 2000 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Reno, NV
  • 2000 National Institute of Justice's 5th Annual National Conference of the Future of DNA, New York, N.Y.
  • 2000 FRENZY Conference on Forensic Sciences and Crime Scene Technology, Washington, D.C.
  • 2000 National Law Enforcement Summit on DNA Technology, Washington, D.C.
  • 2000 The National Academies, Scientific Evidence Workshop, Washington, D.C.
  • 2001 Sixth Annual CODIS User's Group Meeting, Arlington, VA
  • 2001 DNA: Lessons from the Past, Problems for the Future - Brooklyn Law School and the National Institute of Justice, Brooklyn, N.Y.
  • 2001 Behind the Blue Wall of Silence, Understanding Police Misconduct in America, sponsored by The American University, Washington College of Law and The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
  • 2001 Second Annual FRENZY Conference on Forensic Sciences and Crime Scene Technology, Washington, D.C.
  • 2001 Office of Justice Programs Annual Conference on Criminal Justice Research and Evaluation, Enhancing Policy and Practice, Washington, D.C.
  • 2001 High Technology Crime Investigation Association/Regional Computer Forensic Group, Regional Computer Forensic Symposium, Fairfax, VA.
  • 2001 The Human Genome Project, DNA Science and the Law: The American Legal System's Response to Breakthroughs in Genetic Science, sponsored by the American University, Washington College of Law.
  • 2001 Seventh Annual CODIS User's Group Meeting, Arlington, VA
  • 2002 54thAnnual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Atlanta, GA
  • 2002 Science, Technology and Law Program, National Academies, Washington, D.C.
  • 2002 Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists, Frederick, MD.
  • 2002 International Association for Identification, 87th International Educational Conference, Las Vegas, NV
  • 2003 International Association for Identification, 88th International Educational Conference, Ottawa, Canada
  • 2004 Comparative Science in a Daubert World, Association of Questioned Document Examiners, Las Vegas, NV
  • 2004 Maryland State Bar Association seminar for solo practitioners
  • 2006 Justice for All, Cyril H. Wecht Institute of Forensic Sciences, Duquesene University, Pittsburgh, PA
  • 2006 Forensic Science: The Nexus of Science and the Law, National Academy of Sciences Symposium, Washington, DC
  • 2006 TechnoSecurity, Myrtle Beach, SC
  • 2006 NIJ DNA Grantees Meeting, Arlington, VA
  • 2006 American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA
  • 2006 Promega Corporation=s 17th International Symposium on Human Identification, Nashville, TN
  • 2006 High Technology Crime Investigators Association (HTCIA) Annual Conference, Cleveland, OH
  • 2006 6th Annual National Conference on Science, Technology and the Law, sponsored by the National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law at Stetson University College of Law and the National Institute of Justice, St. Petersburg, FL
  • 2006 TechnoForensics Annual Conference, Gaithersburg, MD

MEETING PRESENTATIONS/TRAINING/OTHER:

  • 1999 Research in Domestic Preparedness: Ensuring Security, Protecting Infrastructure, and Preventing Violence, AAAS Research Competitiveness Program, Stillwater, OK.
  • 1999 Law Enforcement Technology Institute, NIJ, Washington, D.C.
  • 2000 George Washington University, Forensic Science Student Organization - New Technologies and DNA, Washington, D.C.
  • 2000 Second Annual National Conference on Science and the Law, Co-Sponsored by The National Institute of Justice, The American Academy of Forensic Sciences, The American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section, The National Center for State Courts, in collaboration with The Federal Judicial Center and The National Academies, San Diego, CA.
  • 2000 Conducted training course on What Every Law Enforcement Officer Should Know About DNA Evidence for Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department Training Academy
  • 2001 Guest Lecturer Litigating the Criminal Conviction, The Innocence Project, The American University, Washington College of Law
  • 2001 Third Annual National Conference on Science and the Law, Co-Sponsored by The National Institute of Justice, The American Academy of Forensic Sciences, The American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section, The National Center for State Courts, in collaboration with The American Association for the Advancement of Science and The National Academies, Miami, FL.
  • 2002 Council of Forensic Science Educators, Atlanta, GA, presented on the Technical Working Group on Education and Training in Forensic Science
  • 2002 Law Enforcement Technology Institute, NIJ, Washington, D.C.
  • 2002 Fourth Annual National Conference on Science and the Law, Co-Sponsored by The National Institute of Justice, The American Academy of Forensic Sciences, The American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section, The National Center for State Courts, in collaboration with The American Association for the Advancement of Science and The National Academies, Miami, FL.
  • 2003 National Institute of Justice/Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Digital Evidence Mock Trial, witness, Williamsburg, VA
  • 2003 Education and Training in Forensic Sciences: A Guide for Forensic Science Laboratories, Educational Institutions, and Students, presented at the 55th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Chicago, IL
  • 2003 Resource Guide for Law, Science and Technology, presented at the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists Annual Meeting, Annapolis, MD
  • 2003 Recommended Academic Guidelines & Accreditation Criteria for Forensic Science Programs, presented at the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists Annual Meeting, Annapolis, MD
  • 2003 Resource Guide for Law, Science and Technology and the National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and Law, presented at the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Annual Meeting, Tampa, FL
  • 2003 Recommended Academic Guidelines & Accreditation Criteria for Forensic Science Programs, presented at the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Annual Meeting, Tampa, FL
  • 2003 Resource Guide for Law, Science and Technology and the National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and Law, presented at the Southwestern Association for Forensic Scientists Annual Meeting, Ft. Worth, TX
  • 2004 Resource Guide for Law, Science and Technology and the National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and Law, presented at the 56th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Dallas, TX
  • 2004 The Admissibility Status of Latent Print Evidence - Has the Problem Really Gone Away? And Whose Problem is it? presented at the 56th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Dallas, TX
  • 2004 Faculty Member and Trainer for Train the Trainer: Use of DNA in Sexual Assault Investigations for Law Enforcement, Office of Victims of Crime, Miami, FL
  • 2004 Resource Guide for Law, Science and Technology and the National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and Law, presented at the Annual Meeting of the North West Association of Forensic Sciences, Missoula, MT
  • 2004 Resource Guide for Law, Science and Technology and the National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law, presented at the Association of Questioned Document Examiners annual meeting, Memphis, TN
  • 2004 Resource Guide for Law, Science and Technology and the National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law, presented at the Society of Forensic Toxicologists annual meeting, Washington, DC
  • 2004 Resource Guide for Law, Science and Technology and the National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law, presented at the joint meeting of the MidAtlantic Association of Forensic Scientists, the Southern Association of Forensic Scientists, the Canadian Association of Forensic Scientists and the South West Association of Forensic Scientists, Orlando, FL
  • 2004 Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission; An Update, presented at the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors annual meeting, San Diego, CA
  • 2004 DNA for Law Enforcement, presented at the Rural Law Enforcement Institute, Little Rock, AR
  • 2005 Poking the Wookie; the Chewbacca Defense in Digital Evidence Cases, presented at the 57th annual meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, New Orleans, LA
  • 2005 Co-Chair and moderator of day long workshop, Forensic Digital Evidence: Current and Prospective Scientific and Legal Issues, presented at the 57th annual meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, New Orleans, LA
  • 2005 The Uses of DNA, presented at the Innocence Project Network Conference, Washington, DC (panel with Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld)
  • 2005 BJA/COPS DNA for Law Enforcement Focus Group Member, Alexandria, VA
  • 2005 DNA Evidence Collection and Utilization presented at the 3rd National SART Conference, San Francisco, CA
  • 2005 Digital Evidence Courtroom Testimony Workshop, Co-Panelist at the American Academy of Applied Forensics at Central Piedmont Community College, Charlotte, NC
  • 2005 CSI Meets the Courts: The Brave New World of Forensic Technology, Presidential Showcase, Co-Panelist at the American Bar Association Annual Conference, Chicago, IL
  • 2005 DNA for Law Enforcement Training Workshops for the Office of Victims of Crime SANE/SART program: San Francisco, CA,; Allegheny County, PA,; Uniontown, PA,; Laconia, NH
  • 2006 DNA for Law Enforcement Training Workshops for the Office of Victims of Crime SANE/SART program: Los Angeles, CA,; Murphy, NC,; Shell Beach, CA, (California Sexual Assault Investigator's Association Annual Conference); Charleston, WV, (Annual WV Sexual Assault Workshop); Bridgeport, CT,; Minot, ND,; Freehold, NJ,; Providence, RI; Casper, WY; Salisbury, MD
  • 2006 DNA for the Non-Scientist workshop presented at the 58th annual meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Seattle, WA
  • 2006 Biometrics Meets the Courts; Latent Prints and Other Methods of Identification Under Scrutiny, Keynote Address, Brave New World - Developing the Legal Frontier in Light of Forensic and Biometric Advances, West Virginia University College of Law, Morgantown, WV
  • 2006 "Forensic DNA", "Mock Trial, DNA Expert" both at Forensic Science Teacher's Education Conference, Florida Gulfcoast University, Ft. Myers, FL
  • 2006 "Careers in Forensic Science" presented at National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC) Forensic Science, National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD
  • 2006 Testimony before the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission Hearing on Federal, State, and Local Investigations and Prosecutions of Sexual Assaults on Confined Persons, Detroit, MI

CERTIFICATIONS/POSITIONS HELD/OTHER:

  • Advisory Committee member, NIJ Juror Comprehension of DNA Evidence Research Study
  • Participant, International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) DNA Summit 2002
  • Co-Chairman, Multidisciplinary Symposium AThe Anatomy of a Coerced Murder Confession: Can Post Conviction Relief Repair the Integrity of the Criminal Justice System?@, 56th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Dallas, TX
  • Program Committee: Chairman, Poster Session, 57th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, New Orleans, LA
  • Conference Planning Committee Member, 3rd Annual Sexual Assault Response Team Training
  • Conference, June, 2005 San Francisco, CA
  • Program Coordinator, Practicing Law in the Digital Age: Uncovering the Mystique of Electronic Discovery, Stetson University College of Law, Tampa, FL
  • Advisory Board Member, Sexual Assault Response Team information website
  • Program Committee: Co-Chairman, Workshops, 58th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Seattle, WA
  • Program Committee: Co-Chairman, Interdisciplinary Symposium, 59th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, San Antonio, TX (forthcoming 2007)
  • Program Committee: Co-Chairman, Local Events Coordinator, 60th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Washington, DC (forthcoming 2008)
  • Conference Planning Committee Member, 4th Annual Sexual Assault Response Team Training Conference, to be held May 30-June 1, 2007, Tampa, FL
  • Conference Coordinator, National Conference on Science, Technology and Law, sponsored by the National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law at Stetson University College of Law and the National Institute of Justice, November 2006, St. Petersburg, FL
  • Advisory Commissioner, Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission (2002-present)
  • Program Committee: Local Events Co-Chairman, 60th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Washington, DC (forthcoming 2008)
  • Defense Consultant State v. Tankersley, 191 Ariz. 359, 956 P.2d. 486 (198); post conviction death penalty case, DNA issues
  • Defense Consultant State v. Jackson, FL 2006, murder charge, DNA issues
  • Trainer, SART DNA Training Program
  • Trainer, COPS DNA Training Program
  • Secret and Top Secret Security Clearance
  • Certified as ISO 17015 inspector/auditor
  • Admitted to practice law in Maryland and the District of Columbia
Updated December 29, 2006