FEPAC Announces 2025 Commission Chair and Vice Chair

At a recent meeting, FEPAC voted to appoint one Commissioner Academic and one Commissioner Practitioner to serve as Chair and Vice Chair of the AAFS Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC). 

 

Dr. Pamela Marshall has been involved in the field of forensic analysis since 2002. Upon the completion of her MS in Forensic Genetics in 2002, she worked as a Forensic Scientist III at the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division. While in Maryland, she was the Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) Coordinator for the state, helped to promote 120-hour SAFE collection legislation, and assisted in the training of over 200 SAFE nurses. Pam has also traveled abroad to Luanda, Angola, Africa to train analysts in forensic DNA analysis. She has been qualified as an expert witness in the fields of serology and DNA in Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, and West Virginia.

Her dissertation was titled "Improved Tools for the Robust Analysis of Low Copy Number and Challenged DNA Samples," leading to her graduation with her doctorate in 2014 under the guidance of Drs. Bruce Budowle, Art Eisenberg, Ranajit Chakraborty, and Angela van Daal. She also holds an additional MS degree in Biomedical Science from the University of North Texas Health Science Center.

From 2014-2018, Pam served as the Director of the Forensic Science Program at the Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO), a public, historically Black college and university (HBCU). While at SUNO, she created a state-of-the-art forensic laboratory for hands-on research and experimentation. She has received numerous grants as well as partnered on research projects with other faculty and students. Pam is an advocate for increasing the number of African American and underrepresented minority professionals in the field of forensic science.

In July 2018, Pam became the Director of the Forensic Science and Law Program at Duquesne University. She also serves as an Associate Professor and holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Biological Sciences. In 2019, Pam also became the Director of the Cyril H. Wecht Institute of Forensic Science and Law. In 2024, Pam became a FEPAC Commissioner.

Pam has extensive graduate and undergraduate teaching experience in the forensic disciplines of serology, DNA, and microscopy. Her research interests include low-copy number DNA, human and wildlife DNA identification challenges, body fluid identification, nanoparticle technology, pressure cycling technology, PCR enhancement, mixture deconvolution, and 3D printing technology.

Andrea Borchardt is a Senior Forensics Policy Advisor at the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), a component of the United States Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs.  In this role, she oversees various forensic capacity portfolios, including the Postconviction Testing of DNA Evidence program and the DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR) program. A recipient of numerous awards, including the Director's Award, Medal of Merit and Special Act Awards, Andrea has proven herself a passionate, hardworking forensic DNA analyst and policy advisor leading initiatives to improve forensic science and criminal justice in the United States. She has extensive laboratory and management experience with oversight of forensic DNA operations in a major United States city as well as at the largest private forensic DNA analysis firm in the country. Her leadership is demonstrated by roles on the Attorney General's Forensic Science Working Group Advisory Board and the Forensic Science Education Program Accreditation Commission as well as written and oral briefings to the Hill on matters relating to forensic science. Ms. Borchardt was previously an adjunct instructor at the Virginia Commonwealth University where she taught Forensic Molecular Biology.  She holds an MS degree from the Johns Hopkins University. In 2021, Ms. Borchardt began serving as a FEPAC Commissioner.

We appreciate their expertise and time as they take on this new role!
 

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