Curriculum Vitae
Education/Training:
Master of Arts Degree in Critical and Creative Thinking, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA - 1993 Provided specialized skills in analyzing and evaluating data from many different perspectives, and developing effective strategies for problem solving and decision making. Research project was conducted and later published that examined the similarities and differences between writing and drawing.
Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education, Fitchburg State University, Fitchburg, MA. - 1967 Emphasis placed on the teaching, implementing, and deciphering the various nuances of both printed and cursive writing
General Certification in Graphoanalysis, International Graphoanalysis Society, Chicago, IL - 1986. Training in measuring, identifying, and assessing the unique characteristics and various observable behavior patterns that can occur in an individual’s cursive writing style.
Master Certification in Graphoanalysis, International Graphoanalysis Society, Chicago, IL - 1988. More advanced training in measuring, identifying and comparing the unique characteristics of both printed and cursive writing styles as well as the corresponding patterns evident in letter formations and proportions, slant, size, directional pressure, line quality, spacing, baseline placement, rhythm, and stroke idiosyncrasies.
Certificate of Achievement, World Association of Document Examiners (WADE), Chicago, IL - Six Year Residence Training Program - 1997-2002. Transcripts from the completed courses and workshops attended are available.
Certified Graphologist - American Association of Handwriting Analysts - 2014.
Continuous training by reading, conducting and presenting research to various professional groups and by attending weekly online classes and international annual conferences. Most recent conferences include:
2018 - 7/19-7/21 - American Association of Handwriting Analysts (AAHA) - onsite Best Western Adams Inn, Quincy, MA
2019 - 10/26 & 11/07 - American Handwriting Analysis Foundation (AHAF) - online
2020 - 9/21-9/23 - International Association of Document Examiners (IADE) - online
2021 - 9/13-9/15 - International Association of Document Examiners (IADE) - online
2021 - Passed Annual Proficiency Test - International Association of Document Examiners (IADE)
2022 - 10/10-10/12 - International Association of Document Examiners (IADE) - online
2022 - Passed Annual Proficiency Test - International Association of Document Examiners (IADE)
2023 - 10/20 - International Association of Document Examiners (IADE) - online
2023 - Passed Annual Proficiency Test - international Association of Document Examiners (IADE)
Experience:
Has been deemed court qualified in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Has testified in Land Court in Boston, Family and Probate Court in Canton and Brockton, and Superior Court in Dedham, Woburn, Worcester, Brockton and Boston.
Has worked on hundreds of cases involving questioned signatures on documents such as contested Wills, Codicils, Quitclaim Deeds, Transfer of Ownership Agreements, Power of Attorney Forms, Notary Journals, various types of loans, checks, and petty cash slips as well as identifying writers of many challenging slanderous and threatening anonymous notes.
Created and taught, at satellite sites, a 3-credit graduate course entitled, “Handwriting Enrichment and Implementation.” This course was taught primarily to other educators to help them understand the mechanics of the writing process and how one’s unique handwriting style begins in children at an early stage of their development. Adjunct faculty - Fitchburg State University, MA (1994-2009) and Framingham State University, MA (2010-2020.)
Accomplishments:
Published Master’s Thesis, “Exploring Graphokinesics Critically and Creatively.” Kinesics is the study of movement and “grapho” refers to any graphic mark which includes doodles, scribbles, printed and cursive writing and drawing. A research project was conducted which focused on identifying various similarities and differences between drawing and writing. International Graphoanalysis Society, Chicago, IL - 1996.
Published instructional text, “A Humanistic Approach to Penmanship.” It focuses on the mechanics and complexities of the printed and cursive handwriting process. Includes the results of field-tested studies conducted while transitioning a group of 3rd graders from printing to cursive writing. Burham Inc: Chicago, IL - 2000.
Published article and presented at a WADE seminar, “You’re Never Too Young to Write and an Anonymous Letter.” This article shares a case study of two 9 year old girls who claimed to be receiving slanderous anonymous notes. WADE Exchange, October, 1998.
Paper written and presented at a WADE seminar, “Numerical Identification.” This case shared the importance of looking at numbers as a significant source of evidence, not only because numbers are not often changed when signatures have been altered; but also, because numbers can take on the shape of printed letters. Chicago, IL - 2001.
Research project demonstrating how to measure similarities between printing and cursive writing with regards to slant, pressure patterns, letter size and proportion, idiosyncrasies, letter, word and line spacing, and baseline placement. Presented at a WADE seminar, Chicago, IL - 2002.
Published personality profiling research project that tracked the changes in the handwriting of Charles Whitman from age 14 to 25 when he shot 46 people, 14 fatally, at the University in Austin. “Tower Sniper” Monte Akers et al. (pp 258, 259, 271-273) John M. Hardy Publishing Company: Houston, TX - 2016
Identified the writer of the anonymous “Albany Letter” as the Zodiac killer. History Channel Documentary, November 15, 2017. (shown in part 4 of the 5 part series)
Published article, “A Blind Study Using Handwriting for Personality Profiling” in the quarterly newsletter, The Crucible, American Investigative Society of Cold Cases (AISOCC) August, 2018. Attended their annual conference at the College of St. Rose, Albany, NY - April, 2019.
Published blind research project comparing the similarities and differences of 8 foreign handwriting samples in order to determine potential sibling/twin relationships. All the siblings were from Columbia and the samples were printed in Spanish. “Accidental Brothers”, Nancy L. Segal, Ph.D. - Professor of Psychology and Director of Twin Studies @ University of California in Fullerton. (pp 195-196) St. Martin’s Press: New York, 2018.
Lecture, “Looking Beyond Letters” demonstrated how letters, numbers, symbols, scribbles and shapes, can have an uncanny connection and be compared and identified from 3 shared elements: a straight line, a curved line, and a dot. Presented at the American Association of Handwriting Analysts International Convention, July 19-21, 2018. Best Western Adams Inn, Quincy, MA.
Published favorable ruling on a complex court case involving several questioned signatures on a Quitclaim Deed, Power of Attorney Form, Notary Journal, and a loan. Massachusetts Lawyer’s Weekly, No. 14-081-18 (14 pp) McNeff v. Cerretani - Middlesex Land Court, Boston - Judge Karen Scheier (Docket No. Misc 16-000327) Sept 12, 2018. The case was appealed and the original ruling of Judge Scheier was upheld.
Published article entitled “Identifying Simulation in Fraudulent Signatures.” Using a case study, several identifying factors were explained and illustrated to determine simulation in signatures. International Association of Document Examiners (IADE) newsletter, “Under the Microscope.” Vol. 7 No. 2 Fall, 2021.
Power Point Presentation entitled, “A Challenging Anonymous Note.” The case involved identifying the writer of a printed anonymous antisemitic remark written on a flowered pillowcase in a college dorm room. Even though there were 9 letters in the remark; only 5 letters could be used for the examination due to the quality of the photograph. Since the known writing samples of the 3 adolescent freshman females contained such similar printing styles, I resorted to measuring the height and the width of the 5 letters identified in the anonymous note. From those measurements, I created ratios which I then converted into percentages in order to determine the writer of the note and ultimately solving the case. International Association of Document Examiners (IADE) Annual Interactive Seminar and Workshop Webinar Oct 10-12, 2022.
Pending published second opinion report provided on an anonymous note that was presented as evidence in a murder case that went to trial in 1833. Book is scheduled for publication in 2025.
Memberships and Offices held:
World Association of Document Examiners (WADE - went into receivership 2003) previous life member and served on the President’s Advisory Board, 2001-2002.
New England Society of Handwriting Analysts, member 1986-present, Vice-president (1988-1989), President (1990-1991), Treasurer (2015-present).
International Graphoanalysis Society, life member 1988- present. Voted “Graphoanalyst of the Year” 1997.
American Association of Handwriting Analysts (AAHA), Associate Life Member, conference instructor, International Convention Chair 2018, Northeast Regional Vice-president 2008-2019, National Membership Chair 2020- present. Invited to serve on the Board of Trustees, 2023 to present.
American Investigative Society of Cold Cases (AISOCC)- invited member, 2017 - 2020.
International Association of Document Examiners (IADE), member - 2020 - present. Invited to serve on the Board of Directors as Membership Chair, 2022.