Faculty and Bios
Angela Canepa, J.D.
Deputy Director of First Responder Communications Initiatives, Office of Information Technology Enterprise 9-1-1 and MARCS Programs, Ohio Department of Administrative Services
A 1987 graduate of Bowling Green State University with a Criminal Justice Degree, Ms. Canepa has been a career prosecutor since she got her law degree from The Ohio State University more than 32 years ago. Ms. Canepa first served as an Assistant Prosecutor with Franklin County for almost 22 years, and then at the Ohio Attorney General’s Office for seven years initially under Mike DeWine as the Assistant Section Chief and then as the Section Chief of the Special Prosecutions section. While at the Franklin County Prosecutor’s office, she became the first Director of the Abuse unit (now “SVU” Unit), which handles all child physical and sexual assault cases, all adult sexual assault cases and all domestic violence related felonies, including any homicides that result from any of these types of cases. Ms. Canepa also helped to create the Child Advocacy Center (CAC) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and was co-located there for five years. While serving at the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, she became lead prosecutor on the Pike County eight-person homicide case (the Rhoden family homicide case) and has successfully resolved three of the four defendants’ cases in that case. She will remain involved in that case until the fourth and final defendant’s case is resolved, although she currently also works full time as the Deputy Director of First Responder Communications at the Department of Administrative Services, supervising both the 9-1-1 and MARCS programs there. Ms. Canepa has had a career of utilizing forensic evidence to make or break her criminal cases, and has worked closely with forensic scientists in doing so.
Jeremy Canfield, M.S.
Research Technician, Ohio Attorney General's Center for the Future of Forensic Science at Bowling Green State University
Jeremy Canfield graduated from the University of Toledo in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacology and Toxicology. He then spent three years working for a contract research immunology lab in Shaker Heights, Ohio. In 2018, he decided to pursue his Master of Science degree in Forensic Science at Bowling Green State University. After graduating in 2020, Mr. Canfield was hired as a Forensic Science Research Technician with the Ohio Attorney General’s Center for the Future of Forensic Science at Bowling Green State University. His duties include maintaining and running the laboratory instrumentation, training and supervising graduate students in the lab, and guest lecturing on the topics of pharmacology and toxicology of drugs of abuse. In 2023, Mr. Canfield began working toward his PhD in Biology.
Dan Davison, M.S.
Forensic Scientist- Latent Prints Section, Bureau of Criminal Investigation
Daniel Davison has been a Forensic Scientist with the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) since 1997. He began his career in the Latent Print Unit, then moved into the Trace Evidence Section giving him experience in multiple disciplines within forensic science. During his time with BCI, Mr. Davison has been authorized to perform examinations in the areas of Latent Prints, Footwear and Tire Impression, Gun Shot Residue, Physical Break Match, Fibers, Paint, and Glass. He has held the responsibility as Forensic Science Coordinator over the Trace Evidence section, both regionally and statewide, for the internationally accredited crime laboratory at BCI. Mr. Davison earned his Master of Science degree in Forensic Science from Virginia Commonwealth University after earning his Bachelor of Science degree in General Science, Criminal Justice, and History from Indiana Wesleyan University. He is a member of the Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientists (MAFS) and the American Society of Trace Evidence Examiners (ASTEE).
Jeffrey J. Lynn
Chief of Forensic Standards and Training, Ohio Attorney General's Center for the Future of Forensic Science at Bowling Green State University
Jeff Lynn brings 35 years of crime laboratory expertise to the Center for the Future of Forensic Science and BGSU as the Chief of Forensic Standards and Training. His career with the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) included responsibilities as a forensic scientist, regional crime laboratory manager, and statewide system administrator. Affording him the opportunity to perform scientific analysis on all manner of physical evidence; testify as an expert witness in hundreds of criminal cases; manage a crime laboratory with a wide array of distinctive forensic science disciplines; and guide a large crime laboratory system to international accreditation status. As Chief of Forensic Standards and Training, he is instrumental in providing professional training opportunities to working forensic scientists, as well as ensuring BGSU students are prepared for real-world forensic science careers. He is a past president and current member of the Forensic Science Institute of Ohio (FSIO); a member of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD); and is a certified crime laboratory accreditation assessor; and an adjunct professor at Bowling Green State University in the Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science program.
Jessica Mendofik
Forensic Scientist- Latent Prints Section, Bureau of Criminal Investigation
Jessica Mendofik received her Bachelor of Science degree in Forensic Chemistry, along with a minor in Biology, from State University of New York College at Buffalo in 2008. In 2011, she was hired by the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) as a forensic scientist in the latent print section of the laboratory. Her duties in the latent print section include processing evidence, comparing unknown prints to known exemplars, and performing computerized fingerprint database searches through both the state database and the FBI’s national database. Ms. Mendofik served a term as the regional Forensic Science Coordinator (FSC) out of the Bowling Green laboratory from 2017 to 2021. As the regional FSC, she was responsible for coordinating with laboratory management on matters of quality assurance, training, as well as operational needs in her section. In 2018, Ms. Mendofik was chosen to receive cross training in the trace evidence section of the laboratory. In this section she examines questioned footwear impressions, performs comparisons, and participates in a multi-state computer footwear database. Ms. Mendofik serves adjunct instructor for the Latent Prints course in the Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science program at Bowling Green State University. She has been a member of the International Association for Identification (IAI) since 2013.
Crystal Oechsle, Ph.D.
Assistant Teaching Professor, Ohio Attorney General's Center for the Future of Forensic Science, Bowling Green State University
Dr. Oechsle earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Forensic Chemistry from Ohio University in 2007. Immediately after, she began working as a hybrid criminalist, DNA analyst, and crime scene responder for the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory (MSPCL). During her tenure with MSP, Dr. Oechsle also earned her Master of Science degree in Biomedical Forensic Science from Boston University School of Medicine. After leaving Massachusetts, she started as a DNA analyst with a private forensic DNA laboratory located in Florida. During this time, Dr. Oechsle served as the laboratory’s Quality Assurance Manager, and she was later appointed to the role of DNA Technical Leader. In these capacities, she was responsible for overseeing laboratory staff and training, validations, and the daily scientific operations of the laboratory, as well as laboratory and casework analysis and testimony. Dr. Oechsle has testified over 30 times in state and federal courts in the United States as well as internationally. In 2014, Dr. Oechsle began her doctoral studies at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, while working as a forensic DNA validation consultant for labs across the US and around the world. Dr. Oechsle completed her Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology and soon after began teaching forensic biology courses in conjunction with the Center for the Future of Forensic Science at Bowling Green State University. Dr. Oechsle is certified in Molecular Biology through the American Board of Criminalistics, has published several manuscripts related to her laboratory research, and holds membership in the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS), Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientists (MAFS), International Society for Forensic Genetics (ISFG), and the Association of Forensic Quality Assurance Managers (AFQAM).
Judge Matthew L. Reger
Judge, Wood County Common Pleas Court
Matthew Reger is a Wood County Common Pleas Judge in Bowling Green, Ohio. He has been on the bench since January 1, 2017. Before his election to the bench, Judge Reger served as the Bowling Green Municipal Prosecutor for 20 years. He began his career as an attorney as a staff attorney with Judge Charles F. Kurfess. During his time as the Bowling Green Municipal Prosecutor, Judge Reger spent a year in the Republic of Georgia as a Criminal Law Expert. He worked with the American Bar Association and the United States Embassy in Georgia in training attorneys and prosecutors in the common law adversarial process. He also worked with the American Embassy and Georgian Parliament in creating a criminal procedure code.
Judge Reger has served as an adjunct professor with Bowling Green State University since 2008. He currently teaches CRJU 4400, Forensic Evidence, with Daniel Davison. This unique class teaches both the technical and scientific side of forensic evidence along with the legal side. Some of what was used in this classroom program was used in creating this continuing legal education program. Judge Reger graduated from Michigan State University in 1990 and the University of Toledo College of Law in 1993. He lives in Bowling Green with his wife Heidi and two children, Elizabeth and Noah.
Megan Roberts
Senior Special Agent, Bureau of Criminal Investigation
Mrs. Roberts has worked as a Senior Special Agent in the Crime Scene Unit at the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) since 2011. Prior to the BCI, Mrs. Roberts worked as a patrolman for the Village of Walbridge for approximately 5 years. Agent Roberts received her bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Tiffin University and her associate degree in law enforcement and applied science from Owens Community College. She has been certified with the International Association for Identification (IAI) in crime scene investigation and is a graduate of the National Forensic Academy in Tennessee. During her years of crime scene experience, Agent Roberts has assisted communities throughout Ohio in more than one hundred homicide investigations. Special Agent Roberts currently teaches the Fall offering of FSCI 4100, Principles of Crime Scene Investigation, for the Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science program at Bowling Green State University.
Tiffany Roy, M.S., J.D.
Consultant, ForensicAid, LLC.
Tiffany Roy, MSFS, JD is a Forensic DNA expert with over fifteen years of forensic biology experience in both public and private laboratories in the United States. She has processed thousands of DNA samples and thousands of cases over the course of her career. She has provided expert witness testimony in more than one hundred cases in state, federal, and international courts. She instructs undergraduates at the University of Maryland Global Campus and Southern New Hampshire University. She currently acts as a consultant for attorneys and the media in the area of forensic biology through her firm, ForensicAid, LLC. Ms. Roy holds degrees from Syracuse University, Massachusetts School of Law, and the University of Florida in the areas of Biology, Law, and Forensic Science. She is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, and the Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners. She is a certified in the area of Forensic Biology by the American Board of Criminalistics.
Jon E. Sprague, R.PH., Ph.D
BCI Eminent Scholar & Director of Science and Research, Ohio Attorney General's Center for the Future of Forensic Science, Bowling Green State University, and Office of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost
Jon E. Sprague is the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation eminent scholar and the director of science and research for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. He previously led the Ohio Attorney General’s Center for the Future of Forensic Sciences at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) from 2014-2019. Prior to joining BGSU, Dr. Sprague was the University Director of Academic Research and Head of Pharmaceutical Sciences for the College of Pharmacy at Ferris State University. Before joining Ferris State University, he served as Dean and Professor of Pharmacology at the Raabe College of Pharmacy at Ohio Northern University (ONU). Dr. Sprague was also Chair and Professor of Pharmacology at the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Virginia Tech University. He received his PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology from Purdue University and was a faculty member in the College of Pharmacy at Purdue. is research and teaching interests include the neurobiology of addiction and the pharmacology and toxicology of drugs of abuse. Dr. Sprague has more than 100 peer-reviewed publications on these topic areas. He was instrumental in writing Ohio’s law on synthetic drugs, which focused on synthetic cathinones, cannabinoids and opioids.
Travis J. Worst, Ph.D.
Director and Associate Teaching Professor, Ohio Attorney General's Center for the Future of Forensic Science, Bowling Green State University
Dr. Travis J. Worst is the Director of the Ohio Attorney General’s Center for the Future of Forensic Science at Bowling Green State University, an Associate Teaching Professor in the Chemistry department BGSU, and serves as the Graduate Coordinator for BGSU’s Master of Science in Forensic Science Program. While taking on the responsibility for maintaining high academic standards and promoting scholarly research, Dr. Worst also teaches various classes. Prior to joining BGSU, Dr. Worst was a Forensic Scientist for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). He worked in the Forensic Biology/DNA section and Drug Identification section over his 10 years. Dr. Worst also spent two and a half years at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) working in the Counterterrorism and Forensic Science Research Unit and the Chemical and Biological Sciences Unit. He received his PhD in Pharmacology from Wake Forest University. His research interests include studying the pharmacological effects of “designer drugs,” namely synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic cathinones, and fentanyl-like compounds as well as the various cannabinoids found in marijuana. Dr. Worst is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
CENTER FOR THE FUTURE OF FORENSIC SCIENCE
116 Life Sciences Building
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43403-0001
419-372-0224
bci@bgsu.edu
Updated: 04/30/2024 04:22PM