Jessica Roberts' President's Address |
February 2026
Fellow Members,
It is a profound honor to serve as the Chesapeake Bay - IAI President for the 2026-2027 term. Thank you to everyone who encouraged me to become actively involved in our division from my start as a member on the conference planning committee back in 2022. It truly has been so much fun and has significantly accelerated my own professional development!
First off, after speaking with many of our attendees at this year’s conference, I have so much excitement as the commitment to our division and ideas for its growth are abundant! I am looking forward to developing this year’s initiatives and working toward achieving our division’s collective goals.
One of my primary goals for this year is to continue to bridge the gap between officers and members. We understand that to increase member participation and improve educational programming we must improve communication. As a start, we will aim to inform members about events sooner, strive to make educational agendas more appealing by soliciting the needs of members, and increase the quantity of membership emails throughout the year.
As we all know, conferences and seminars are vital because they provide continuing knowledge and hands-on training experience in an ever-evolving field. I will encourage the planning of several robust educational programs that address our evolving forensic science discipline. We will aim to secure top-tier speakers and diversify lecture and workshop topics to benefit our diverse membership – lab practitioners, crime scene investigators, and law enforcement alike!
The Chesapeake Bay – IAI is a leader among the regional divisions, and we are only just beginning to tap our full potential. From our robust educational programs to vibrant networking events, we should all take immense pride in our division. Again, I am honored and excited to serve you this year and am looking forward to seeing everyone in Charlottesville, Virginia next February!
In service,
Jessica Roberts
CBD-IAI President
Fellow Members,
It is a profound honor to serve as the Chesapeake Bay - IAI President for the 2026-2027 term. Thank you to everyone who encouraged me to become actively involved in our division from my start as a member on the conference planning committee back in 2022. It truly has been so much fun and has significantly accelerated my own professional development!
First off, after speaking with many of our attendees at this year’s conference, I have so much excitement as the commitment to our division and ideas for its growth are abundant! I am looking forward to developing this year’s initiatives and working toward achieving our division’s collective goals.
One of my primary goals for this year is to continue to bridge the gap between officers and members. We understand that to increase member participation and improve educational programming we must improve communication. As a start, we will aim to inform members about events sooner, strive to make educational agendas more appealing by soliciting the needs of members, and increase the quantity of membership emails throughout the year.
As we all know, conferences and seminars are vital because they provide continuing knowledge and hands-on training experience in an ever-evolving field. I will encourage the planning of several robust educational programs that address our evolving forensic science discipline. We will aim to secure top-tier speakers and diversify lecture and workshop topics to benefit our diverse membership – lab practitioners, crime scene investigators, and law enforcement alike!
The Chesapeake Bay – IAI is a leader among the regional divisions, and we are only just beginning to tap our full potential. From our robust educational programs to vibrant networking events, we should all take immense pride in our division. Again, I am honored and excited to serve you this year and am looking forward to seeing everyone in Charlottesville, Virginia next February!
In service,
Jessica Roberts
CBD-IAI President