Provide oversight and direction to the Operations and Training Programs for the Forensic Biology Section, whose primary mission is to conduct criminal casework involving serological screening and nuclear DNA based typing services for the Houston Police Department.-Develop, maintain, and enhance FBIO’s Supply Chain Management Program-Develop, maintain, and coordinate FBIO’s module based Technical Training Program, including serological and DNA analysis methodologies.-Supervise technical staff. (Operations Coordinator)-Ensure all equipment is functioning, troubleshoot errors, and ensure that service repairs, performance checks, and preventative maintenance for all instrumentation are completed on schedule.-Monitor all reagent QC testing and reagent release for casework.-Point of contact for Discovery Orders and Public Information Requests-Coordinate and implement FBIO’s Proficiency Testing ProgramAccomplishments -Defect Tracking - Track and statistically analyze corrections found within TR/AR/QR for all screening & DNA reports generated by section: apply trend analysis, targeted trainings, and suggest improvements -Standing Orders – produced a cost savings of $60K annually through the implementation of large volume yearlong standing orders for the supply chain management of big ticket reagents

Provide direct oversight of the Forensic Biology Section whose primary mission is to conduct criminal casework involving serological screening and nuclear DNA based typing services for the Houston Police Department. -Plan, direct, and implement the Forensic Biology and DNA Analysis programs.-Supervise scientific and technical staff. (Technical Leader, DNA Supervisors, and CODIS Administrator)-Develop and implement section objectives, strategies, and executive plans, as well as Standard Operating Procedures that ensure timely, accurate, and quality forensic services.-Monitor equipment/ service contracts, maintenance agreements, quality reporting, case turn-around-time, department productivity, and employee performance.-Prepare and manage section budget. Accomplishments -Lean Six Sigma – 14 month FBIO project (7/16 – 9/18), Team Member - redesigned, piloted, and controlled for casework single flow processing, new management structure, expansion of Operations and CODIS roles

A clinical diagnostic laboratory performing Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) on Disorder specific Gene Panels, Hereditary Cancer Panels, and Whole Exome Sequencing. Samples are prepared by PCR or Bait/Capture Library Prep methodologies and sequenced by synthesis on the Illumina HiSeq2500, HiSeq4000, and MiSeq. -Maintain daily operation of workflow within all NextGen Laboratories (3 PreLabs, 3 PostLabs), Assign lab work, troubleshoot sample prep and/or instrument errors, and monitor lab data quality.- Supervise scientific and technical staff.- Initiate, monitor, and review all staff training, annual competency, & semiannual proficiency testing - Write validation reports, SOPs, inter-instrument comparisons, corrective actions, employee evaluations, spot bonuses, performance improvement plans, and sign/approve weekly timesheets.- Manage, vet, interview, and recommend entry level through technical specialist candidates for hiring.Accomplishments- Manage a supply inventory worth $3.4 million – monitor usage, ordering, and receipt of reagents/supplies, and conduct monthly inventory counts verified by external auditors of all supply/stock.- Quality Monitoring – track panel trends, primer contamination, prep failure rates, sample turn-around-time, review all equipment and temperature daily QC requirement, and produce a monthly QS summary.- Manage NIH Fellow rotation through NextGen Dept. – Provide lectures and hands on learning experiences.- Validation – Initiated, monitored, and reviewed all critical non-exempt reagents. (110512 to 053114)- Budget – Prepared direct cost assessments of all Gene Panel Tests to support a lab-wide cost analysis.

Ancient and modern DNA work to identify pathogens associated with documented and suspected animal declines. Ancient DNA work on floral and faunal samples to identify sample species/sample content, and phylogenetic relationships. Methods employed target mitochondrial DNA, chloroplast DNA, and nuclear DNA- Perform manual laboratory techniques including extraction (Organic Phenol/Chloroform, Ethanol Precipitate, Evogen, QIAquick), DNA shearing, indexed library preparation (454, Illumina), DNA capture, amplification (PCR, qPCR, emPCR), purification (Ultra-4, mini-elute, gel extraction, Ampure beads, ExoSap-It, Sephadex), Sanger cycle sequencing, 454 next generation sequencing

Manage a team of DNA Analysts utilizing mtDNA and nucDNA casework in support of the identification of MIA/POW service members from all previous conflicts, including WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, submitted by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC): Central Identification Laboratory.-Supervise scientific and technical staff (5 DNA Casework Analysts and 2 DNA Reference Technicians)-HTP Manager – Supervise all reference sample robotic processing from sample selection to data review (All DNA systems – mtDNA, auSTR, Y-STR; detection on AB’s 3730 Automatic DNA Sequencer)-Southeast Asia Casework Manager – Tabulate technical results, initiate blind searches, and interpret potential relationships between all case samples submitted from SEA (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos)- Served as a liaison to the DNA Coordinator at JPAC:CIL and to the Korean POW experts at DPMO-Generate, analyze, interpret, report, and review technical data from casework and reference samples -Interpret comparisons between casework and family references and write technical identification reports.-Perform manual laboratory techniques for both mtDNA and nucDNA platforms.-Additional skills include the following: Validation, thesis mentoring, and rear guard contingency team member.

Ancient DNA casework in support of the identification of MIA/POW service members from all previous conflicts, including WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, submitted by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC): Central Identification Laboratory. - Generate, analyze, interpret, report, and review technical data from casework samples (dried skeletal remains, teeth, tissue, stamps, & envelopes) and reference samples (bloodstain cards and buccal swabs).- Interpret comparisons between casework and family references and write technical identification reports.- Perform manual laboratory techniques including extraction (Organic PCIA/Butanol, & Chelex), amplification, cycle sequencing, various purification steps (Centricon, Ultra-4, Exo-Sap, ATGC Columns & EDGE plates), and detection on AB’s 377, 3100, & 3130xl Automatic DNA Sequencer.- Additional skills include the following: DNA evidence collection team, DoD forensic lexicon panel, Validation, QAS audit preparation, SOP development, laboratory instructor, temporary evidence custodian, training mentor, and LIMS software beta-testing.

National Institute of Justice (NIJ) funded grant to locate additional sites within the mtDNA coding region to further discriminate individuals of common haplotypes within Caucasian, African, and Hispanic populations for the creation of multiplexed SNP detection assays. A global mtDNA database initiative focused on sequencing the Control Region (bp16024-576) of populations under-represented in current forensic databases.- Project Management – Whole genome mtDNA sequencing of common African - Performed data analysis and database entry & review on mtDNA sequences (CR and Whole Genome).- Performed manual laboratory techniques including extraction (Chelex, & Qiagen), mtDNA & SNP amplification, cycle sequencing, various purification steps (Exo-Sap, Centricon, CleanSeq, & EDGE plates), SNaPshot fluorogenic assays, and detection on AB’s 3100 Automatic DNA Sequencer.- Robotic automation utilized the Bio Robot 9604 (Qiagen), CAS-1200 (Corbett) and Tecan Genesis 200 Workstation