July 2011 Presenter Biographies

Donna C. Boyd (Ph. D., D-ABFA)
Professor and Head of Anthropological Sciences at Radford University; Co-Director, Radford University Forensic Science Institute; adjunct member, Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Western District.  Dr. Boyd received her Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee in Anthropology and is a Board-Certified Forensic Anthropologist who has taught at Radford University for 20 years.  She recently (2006) received the Carnegie/CASE U. S . Professor of the Year award as well as the State Council of Higher Education of Virginia’s Outstanding Professor of the Year award.  In consultation with the Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, she has completed over 50 forensic cases and  is assisting this office with their NIJ grant “Using DNA to Identify the Missing” (cold cases).  She also regularly accepts cases involving the identification and analysis of prehistoric and historic human remains. Her current research focus includes the effect of perimortem trauma on decomposition and Time Since Death as well as the skeletal signatures of slavery in historic Virginia populations.  Dr. Boyd is a Fellow in the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and also member (and former Squad Leader) in DMORT (Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team) Region III with the United States Department of Health and Human Services (National  Disaster Medical System), recently completing a search, recovery, and identification mission to Haiti.  She, along with her husband, received a two year grant in 2009 from NIJ to sponsor a series of workshops entitled “Innovations in Forensic Science.”

C. Clifford (Cliff) Boyd (Ph. D.)
Professor of Anthropological Sciences at Radford University; Co-Director, Radford University Forensic Science Institute; adjunct member, Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Western District.  Dr. Boyd received his Ph.D. in Anthropology (Archaeology) from the University of Tennessee and is an Archaeologist (specializing in Forensic Archaeology) who has taught at Radford University for over 24 years.  He recently (2008) received the State Council of Higher Education of Virginia’s Outstanding Professor of the Year award.  In conjunction with his wife, he has completed over 50 forensic cases in consultation with the Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and regularly conducts training workshops for law enforcement in Search, Recovery and Excavation of covert burials.  He has recently become a member of DMORT (Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team) Region III with the United States Department of Health and Human Services (National  Disaster Medical System).  Dr. Boyd also conducts field investigations of prehistoric and historic archaeological sites for cultural resource management interests.  His current research focus is the application of archaeological and anthropological theory to Forensic Anthropology. He is an Associate Member of the American Association of Forensic Sciences (Physical Anthropology section).

Diane Catley (M. F. S.)
Forensic Science Group Supervisor, Virginia Department of Forensic Science, Western District, Roanoke, Virginia.  Ms. Catley received a Master’s in Forensic Science from George Washington University in 1983 and has been a forensic scientist with the Virginia Department of Forensic Science for over 14 years, specializing in Controlled Substances.  She is a Certified Technical Advisor for ASCLAD-LAB.  She served as an Instructor for the Virginia Institute of Forensic Science and Medicine (for post-graduate Fellows in drug analysis) in 2006 and an Instructor

of Forensic Chemistry at Radford University from 1989 – 1995. She is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists and the CLIC-Clandestine Laboratory Investigating Chemists Association.   

Rhett Herman (Ph. D.)
Professor of Physics, Radford University.  Dr. Herman received his doctorate in Physics from Montana State in 1996 and is a specialist in geophysical remote sensing (ground penetrating radar, soil resistivity, and proton magnetometer).  He has conducted research on depth of sea ice in Barrow, Alaska, as well as the use of the Ground Penetrating Radar on archaeological and forensic sites in Alaska, Virginia, and Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.   His research has led to over two dozen presentations and publications on remote sensing. He has taught Physics and Astronomy at Radford University for 14 years.   In 2007, the Radford University Foundation awarded Dr. Herman the Donald N. Dedmon Professorial Excellence Award.

Joe Keiper (Ph. D.)
Director, Virginia Museum of Natural History.   Before coming to the Virginia Museum of Natural History in Martinsville in 2009, Dr. Keiper served as Curator of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History Insect collection.  He also assisted the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s office as a Forensic Entomology consultant.  His research interests include Forensic Entomology and the effect of body movement on decomposition.  With over 15 years’ experience in forensic entomology, Keiper has worked as a consultant where analysis of entomological (bug) evidence is needed. This has included human death, infestation of living human tissue, infestation of food products, and structural damage. As director of a natural history museum, he uses forensic science as an avenue to connect museum visitors to basic science concepts.

Kevin Patrick (B. S.)
Director, Virginia Department of Forensic Science, Western Laboratory.  Mr. Patrick received his Bachelor of Science degree in Criminalistics from Weber State University, Ogden, Utah and has been director of the Virginia Department of Forensic Science, Western since 2004.  Kevin came to Virginia after 17 years with the Utah Department of Public Safety where he served as a supervisor over the Identification and Crime Scene Response Units for the Utah Bureau of Forensic Services.  As a student, he was the president of Alpha Phi Sigma, the national Criminal Justice honor society and received the Alumni Association Outstanding Achievement award.  Kevin returned to Weber State as an instructor as well as teaching law enforcement personnel and forensic scientists throughout the country in crime scene and forensic related fields for over fifteen years. Prior to this, he was Supervising Criminalist (Identification Section and Serology) of the Utah State Crime Lab, overseeing operations of the Latent Fingerprint, Questioned Documents, Evidence, Firearms, Photography, Bloodstain Pattern and Crime Scene Response units of the laboratory.  Also in Utah, he served as Director of the Utah Crime Scene Academy and Team Leader of the Utah State Crime Scene Response Team.  As a Forensic Scientist, he received the Distinguished Service Medal and Certificate of Merit from the State of Utah.  He was appointed tactical leader of all crime scene response activities for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.  Kevin Patrick has specialized training in Latent Fingerprints/Impressions, Bloodstain Pattern, Crime Scene Photography, Forensic Biology, and Trace Evidence. He is a Certified Bloodstain Pattern Analyst (International Association for Identification), Certified Footwear Examiner (International Association for Identification) and is a member of the Certified D. E. A./U. D. I. Clandestine Laboratory Response Team as well as a Delegate to the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors.  He received the Commissioner’s Commendation in 2002-2003.

Jon Perry (M. A.)
Jon Perry received his bachelor’s degree from Central Missouri State University in 1973 and his Master’s degree from the University of Missouri in 1975.  In 1988, Jon completed a one year fellowship at the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, FBI Academy, where he studied “psychological profiling.” Jon Perry came to the Virginia State Police, where he retired after 12 years of service as a Criminal Investigative Analyst.  Prior to that, Jon was with the Kansas City, Missouri Police Dept. where he retired, in 1993, after 25 years of service.  During the last five years with Kansas City, Jon worked as a Criminal Investigative Analyst where he not only profiled cases within his own organization, but also provided profiles and training on unsolved homicides and sex crimes across the states of Kansas and Missouri.  While with the Virginia State Police and the Kansas City, Mo. Police Dept., his duties included profiling unknown offenders of violent crime, conducting threat assessments, and providing crisis negotiations, along with instructing homicide investigation, sex crimes investigation and crisis negotiation.  Over Jon’s career, he has been the primary negotiator in over ninety barricade situations.  Jon has instructed at the following institutions:  the National Academy (housed at the FBI Academy), Ottawa University, Central Missouri State University, Longview Community College, Penn Valley Community College, University of Missouri, Bluefield College, and Radford University.  In addition, Jon has instructed for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Netherlands National Police, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) in Okinawa, Japan and the New South Wales Police Dept. in Sydney, Australia.  Jon is currently adjunct faculty at Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke, VA and with Roanoke College in Salem, Va.

Donald Stewart (CFCE, ACE, CEECS)
Donald Stewart is Project Manager for the NLECTC (National Law Enforcement and  Corrections Technology Center) Electronic Crime Center of Excellence in Camden, New Jersey and is a specialist in Electronic Crime and Computer Security. Donald Stewart is a Digital Forensics expert known for combining real world police experience with leading-edge investigative techniques and technologies. Stewart began as a Patrol Officer of Bern Township and as a small business owner focusing on computer design and production. Over the course of three decades he has distinguished himself as an investigator, becoming a County Detective and key member of the Reading Area Violent Crimes Task Force focusing on gang intelligence and computer forensics. Stewart has built his reputation as a leader in digital police work by actively increasing the breadth of his education and putting that knowledge to use via multiple taskforces. Stewart is now a project manager for the NIJ Electronic Crime Technology Center of Excellence, presenting new tools and methods designed to make the digital world a powerful asset for law enforcement everywhere.

John Williams (Ph. D.)
Dr. Williams received his Bachelor’s degree from Lake Erie College and his

Master’s and Doctorate from The Ohio State University.  From 1980 to 2003, he was located at the University of North Dakota where he was the director of the Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Science programs. From 2003 to the present, Dr. Williams has been at Western Carolina University where he is the director of the Forensic Anthropology program and the Western Carolina Human Identification Laboratory.  He is a diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Anthropology and a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. During his career as a forensic anthropologist, he has worked with numerous law enforcement agencies and medical examiners and is a member of DMORT. His research specialty is trauma analysis of bone, in particular saw cutmark interpretation.

Cassady Yoder (Ph. D.)
Assistant Professor of Anthropology in the Radford University Department of Anthropological Sciences and Affiliated Faculty, RU Forensic Science Institute; Director, RU Stable Isotope Laboratory.  Dr. Yoder graduated from Texas A&M University with a Ph.D. in Anthropology in 2006.  Her research interests include Bioarchaeology, Paleonutrition, Paleopathology, Skeletal Biology, and Stable Isotope Analysis.  One of the main methods that she employs in her research is the application of stable isotopic analysis to anthropological questions. She has used stable isotopic analysis on human skeletal material from populations from Guatemala, Denmark, the United States and Bolivia.  Before coming to Radford University, Dr. Yoder lectured at Texas A&M, Baylor, as well as University of North Carolina, Greensboro.

Isaac Van Patten (Ph. D)
Dr. Van Patten is Professor of Criminal Justice at Radford University.  He received a B. A. in Psychology from Hampden-Sydney College, a M. Ed. in Counseling and Human Services from Boston University, and a Ph. D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Virginia Tech.  He has taught courses in Criminal Justice (Crime Mapping, Crime Analysis, Quantitative Methods ) at Radford University since 1994, serving as Chair of the Criminal Justice department from 2001-2008.  In addition to teaching at RU, he serves as a Police Psychologist for the Virginia State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigations.  Dr. Van Patten's current research endeavors are in the spatial analysis of violent crime, techniques of analytical crime mapping, geographic profiling and crime analysis.