Katherine H. Judson is the Executive Director of the Center for Integrity in Forensic Sciences. She brings with her to the organization her lifelong, passionate support of justice, fairness, and civil rights causes. She previously served as the SBS/AHT Litigation Coordinator for the Wisconsin Innocence Project, where she coordinated strategic litigation efforts in science-dependent cases, trained lawyers, consulted on medically complex cases, taught law students, and engaged in direct representation of clients wrongfully convicted of child abuse and homicide.
Earlier in her career, she served as the Innocence Network Shaken Baby Syndrome Litigation Fellow and as a trial attorney with the New Mexico Public Defender Department, where she represented clients facing felony charges, including capital crimes, and specialized in cases involving complicated forensic evidence. Her background in science–prior to law school–includes a bachelor's degree in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and work as a research assistant in a pathology laboratory at the University. She has spoken before the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the Innocence Network, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and other law schools and professional organizations on topics related to forensic science.
Dr. Kristen McCowan joined the Center for Integrity in Forensic Sciences after completing her doctorate in Law and Psychology, where she leads research initiatives to shed light on faulty forensic sciences. Her research has focused on jurors' perceptions of forensic science and expert testimony, and overall evidence admissibility. She shares the core mission of the Center for Integrity in Forensic Sciences in strengthening forensic sciences used in court and helping prevent misjustices. Kristen values using data-driven research methods to help educate laypersons and experts in the field on misconceptions surrounding forensic sciences that have led to wrongful convictions.