Dear ASCLD Colleagues,
We are an organization of Laboratory Directors with a wide range of duties depending upon your role within your agency. Our jobs are not just to “manage” the operations of our laboratories but more importantly, we need to lead them. We have that responsibility to our agencies, our staff, and the criminal justice community including the accused and the victims. We must ensure that not only are we good leaders but that we also develop good leaders who will fill our shoes in the future.
The ASCLD Leadership Academy has been around for eight years now, offers two levels of courses and provides a path toward taking the exam for Certified Forensic Manager. Level I provides an excellent program for newly appointed supervisors and supervisors who have had little opportunity for previous formal management training and education. Level 2 builds upon that and expands to leading entire laboratories or multiple sections within your laboratory. It qualifies participants to test for the Certified Forensic Manager exams offered through RTI International’s (RTI) Forensic Manager Certification Program (FMCP). There is also an online/on-demand 18 module ASCLD Level 1 Certified Forensic Manager BRIDGE Course for those who would attended the earlier ASCLD Leadership Academy sessions or the WVU or UC-Davis Forensic Management/Leadership courses in the past. The registration cost pays the CFM exam fees. The bridge registration link is open now: https://www.ascld.org/ascld-bridge-course/ .
Sometimes I feel that this excellent program we offer is forgotten as we hire and promote new supervisors in our agencies. How many of us promoted up through the system based on our hard work and past record of performance but then not offered supervisor/leadership training for our new roles? In our laboratory, we offer new supervisors the chance to take this training as we want them to continue developing leadership skills and possibly facilitate their career advancement goals. The course is made up of 12 modules that include weekly lecture-style virtual sessions and culminates with a two day capstone session at the annual Symposium. I highly encourage you to consider enrolling in the program yourself or offering it to the supervisors on your staff. The bridge course will be offered into 2022 but can’t stay open forever. If you are considering taking that course, don’t delay. Registration for the next round of Level I and Level II programs will open November 1st so watch for the link to be announced in the CLM.
Also, the American Board of Criminalistics (ABC) are seeking out new members for their Certification Examination Management Groups (CEMGs) and an At-Large Director to serve on their Board of Directors. You can find their announcements below.
Have a great week and beware… the holidays are right around the corner!
Laura
Laura Sudkamp
ASCLD President
