I'm a human geneticist specializing in forensic serology and DNA. For 25 years, I taught academic and research courses in forensic biology at California State University, Sacramento. I recently retired from teaching and research but remain very active as a forensic DNA consultant, primarily providing expertise and advice to public defenders. I've issued reports and/or testified in over 200 criminal cases in the United States and abroad that involve forensic DNA evidence, and stay current in the technologies, computer software, and literature in the discipline.

I was the DNA advisor for the U.C. Davis graduate program in Forensic Science for five years and have taught courses for the California Department of Justice in forensic biology instrumentation, DNA extraction, and capillary electrophoresis techniques. Currently, I regularly serve as an instructor for DNA Boot Camps that train public defenders in forensic DNA nationwide.

In 2002-2010, I ran a research program in Tanzania and Kenya, bringing the first forensic allele frequency DNA databases to those countries. I have done considerable research on DNA transfer and contamination as well, particularly on transfer that involves trace levels of DNA.

In addition to my activities as a forensic scientist, I am the author of three science fantasy novels for middle grade children: Frankie and the Gift of Fantasy,  Tales by Moons-light: Stories from before the Great Melt, and Elvia and the Gift of Passion. These books have won multiple accolades and awards, including two Moonbeam Children’s Book gold awards, a first-place Gertrude Warner award, Wishing Shelf medals, and a Purple Dragonfly First Place Award. Elvia and the Gift of Passion was also a finalist for an Eric Hoffer Award and a Foreword Book of the Year award in 2024. My next book, due out in 2025, is Bubba and the Gift of Reason.

My writing is for children ages 9-12, but my creative ventures don't stop there. I am also a folk artist whose unique, colorful cartoons aim to delight and inspire a broad audience that includes adults.