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Board of Directors

Board of Directors

Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker, with the support of City Council, created the Houston Forensic Science Center in 2012 as an independent, local government corporation whose mission it would be to provide forensic services to the city’s police department. HFSC took over management of the city’s forensic services on April 3, 2014.

HFSC is governed by a nine-member board of directors appointed by Houston’s mayor and confirmed by city council. Ellen Cohen is the chairwoman. 

HFSC’s board meetings are open to the public. Regular meetings are held the second Friday of each month in the Houston City Council Annex Chambers at 900 Bagby Street. 

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ELLEN COHEN

Chairwoman, Position 1

(3rd Term: Sept 25, 2024 to Jun 30, 2027) Ellen Cohen, chair of the Houston Forensic Science Center’s board of directors, has lived and worked in Houston since 1977. She served for 10 years as the executive director of the American Jewish Committee and for 18 years as the CEO of the Houston Area Women’s Center, working with survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. In 2006, she was elected as the Texas State Representative for Houston District 134 and served in that capacity for two terms before pursuing public service in Houston. Beginning in January 2012, Ms. Cohen served eight years as the City Council member for District C. The last four she also served as Mayor Pro Tem. She was term limited effective December 31, 2019. As a council member, Mayor Pro Tem Cohen championed Houston’s equal rights ordinance, the elimination of the city’s backlog of more than 6,000 sexual assault kits, a historic pension reform agreement and many other initiatives designed to improve quality of life for her constituents.

Joni Baird

JONI BAIRD

Interim Vice Chairwoman, Position 8

(1st Term: Sep 27, 2023 to Jun 30, 2026) Joni Baird’s career includes county and national law enforcement, corporate security, and corporate public affairs. Ms. Baird began her law enforcement career in the uniformed division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and was later recruited by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado, where she progressed to the rank of Senior Investigator. She subsequently joined Johns Manville Corporation, where she was instrumental in creating the Corporate Security department. There, she investigated criminal activity against the company, provided executive protection, and managed security at manufacturing facilities during crisis events. Later, she was selected to lead the Community Affairs department, overseeing stakeholder and community engagement, contributions, and issues management. Ms. Baird recently retired from Chevron after a distinguished career leading the Houston Public Affairs and Community Engagement team, which also included emergency response and recovery. She currently provides consulting services to corporations, nonprofits, and government entities with a focus on creating high impact stakeholder and community engagement strategies. In addition to completing and instructing numerous criminal justice courses, Ms. Baird holds a BS in Business Administration and a Master of Science in Management from Regis University in Denver, Colorado, where she also served as an Adjunct Professor. Ms. Baird is deeply involved in the community and an alumna of American Leadership Forum and the Center for Houston’s Future, as well as serving on numerous committees and boards.

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ANNA VASQUEZ

Director, Position 2

(3rd Term: Aug 30, 2023 to Jun 30, 2026) Anna Vasquez is the director of outreach and education for the Innocence Project of Texas. Ms. Vasquez took on that role after serving a nearly 13-year prison sentence for a crime she did not commit and never occurred. Ms. Vasquez and three of her friends, who became known as the San Antonio Four, were convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child in a case that dates back to 1994 when Ms. Vasquez was 19. Ms. Vasquez and her friends spent 22 years fighting for their innocence. In 2016, the court of criminal appeals deemed all four actually innocent. She is now dedicated to sharing her experience in the hopes of improving the justice system and preventing similar occurrences.

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PHILIP H. HILDER, J.D.

Director, Position 3

(3rd Term: Sept 25, 2024 to Jun 30, 2027) Philip H. Hilder is a criminal defense attorney with Hilder & Associates, P.C. Formerly, he was the attorney-in-charge of the Houston Field Office of the U.S. Department of Justice, Organized Crime Strike Force. He also served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas detailed to the Presidential Organized Crime Drug Task Force. Since leaving government service, Mr. Hilder has practiced in the area of white-collar criminal defense and related litigation. He is the past former national chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) White Collar Crime Committee and executive director of the ABA White Collar Crime Committee, Criminal Justice Section. He has also served as president of the Federal Bar Association (Houston Chapter).

jed silverman

JED SILVERMAN, J.D.

Director, Position 4

(1st Term: Aug 30, 2023 to Jun 30, 2026) Jed Silverman was born in Houston Texas and graduated from Bellaire High School. Upon graduation, he attended Texas A&M University in Galveston and was in the Corps of Cadets. While in the corps, Mr. Silverman served as assistance master at arms, platoon leader, and chief petty officer. Mr. Silverman graduated with a B.S. in Marine Transportation and sailed on numerous vessels domestically and internationally. While attending the maritime academy, he sailed on the U.S.N.S. Leroy Grumman in support of U.S. and NATO operations in the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas. Mr. Silverman attended and graduated from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law and was licensed to practice law in Texas in November of 1999. Upon being licensed, he founded the Law Offices of Jed Silverman and immediately began trying criminal cases throughout the State of Texas. Attorney Silverman quickly became known for successfully challenging the admissibility of forensic evidence. He has been a frequent lecturer on many different legal issues all over Texas. In 2021, he was appointed as a panel member for the Texas State Bar Grievance Committee section 4/5. Mr. Silverman has been appointed and elected District Chair for Section 4 of the Texas Grievance committee, and as of 2023, is currently serving as panel chair for section 4/5. Additionally, Mr. Silverman has been a recognized Texas Monthly Super Lawyer since 2006.

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SONIA CORRALES

Director, Position 5

(1st Term: Sept 25, 2024 to Jun 30, 2027) Sonia Corrales serves as the Deputy CEO at the Houston Area Women’s Center. She has worked in the field of domestic and sexual violence for over 32 years and has 26 years of leadership experience. Specializing in anti-violence work, she has served on numerous local, state, and national boards and/or committees, including presiding officer of the Harris County Sexual Assault Response Team, Houston Sexual Assault Kit Task Force, Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council, Health and Human Services Commission-Task Force to Address the Relationship Between Domestic Violence and Child Abuse and Neglect, the  National Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting Act  Working Group (SAFER),  the Mayor’s Commission Against Gun Violence, the Texas Teleforensic Remote Assistance Center (Tex-TRAC), UHD Advisory Board for the Master’s of Nonprofit Management, and One Safe Houston Taskforce. Mrs. Corrales serves on the Harris County Public Defender Board, Harris County Resources for Adults and Children, an Advisory Board Member of Barrio Dogs, and a board member of Navidad en el Barrio.  She is a graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso, alumni of Leadership Houston Class XXVI, American Leadership Forum-Criminal Justice Class 4, the Bank of America Neighborhood Excellence Leadership Program and Center for Houston’s Future, and of Latinos for Education. Additionally, she is the 2016 TAASA Advocate of the Year recipient as a 2018 honoree of the Houston Business Journal Women Who Mean Business award, 2019 Texans Campeon de La Comunidad, and 2021 Comcast Hispanic Hero Honoree. 

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JORN YU, PH.D., ABC-CC

Director, Position 6

(1st Term: Sept 25, 2024 to Jun 30, 2026) Dr. Jorn (Chi Chung) Yu is a Professor of Forensic Science at Sam Houston State University. He has more than 18 years of teaching and research experience in forensic science in addition to working as a criminalist for more than 10 years before pursuing an academic career. Dr. Yu’s early scientific investigation focused on engineering a synthetic receptor using the molecular imprinting technique. His research interests focus on detecting trace chemicals in physical evidence and understanding their significance in a scientific investigation. After his tenure, he focused his research efforts on applying nanomaterials for separation science and sensors. Dr. Yu’s research interests are diverse and span traditional areas of forensic chemistry, trace evidence examination, pattern evidence, crime scene reconstruction, and artificial intelligence. His research efforts have been supported by federal funding, including the National Institute of Justice, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Defense, etc. He is a forensic scientist certified by the American Board of Criminalistics in the specialty area of comprehensive criminalistics (ABC-CC). Also, Dr. Yu serves on the Academy Standard Board in the Consensus Bodies of crime scene investigation and bloodstain pattern analysis, as well as a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

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ASMA MIRZA

Director, Position 7

(1st Term: Sept 25, 2024 to Jun 30, 2027) Asma Mirza is a molecular biologist, a global health practitioner, a National Institute of Health Fellow for RADx (Rapidly Accelerating Diagnostics), and the founder and CEO of Steradian Technologies, Inc, a Houston-based biotech startup bridging the gap of healthcare inaccessibility by inventing a fully portable, photon-based disease diagnostic that costs the price of a latte! Under Ms. Mirza’s leadership, Steradian received consecutive prestigious Bill & Melinda Gates grants for their work in creating high-fidelity tech for global health equity, as well as funding and support from Johnson & Johnson, the Center for Medtech Device Innovation, the Texas Medical Center, Duke University School of Medicine, and XPRIZE Foundation. Ms. Mirza received her undergraduate degree in chemistry and molecular biology from Houston Christian University, and her graduate degree in Global Health and Human Rights from Duke University. She is passionate about merging hard sciences with social science to reinvent, create, and develop innovative ideas into reality. She has led large projects globally in the Caribbean, Middle East, South Asia, and East Africa. Additionally, she is the recipient of the prestigious Patrice Johnson Award Honor, the highest distinction in civic leadership in Houston, Texas. A fellow of Leadership Houston Class XXXVIII, and a cofounder of PAMosaic HTX, a non-profit arts collective highlighting artists of color and their work. Mrs. Mirza was also nominated and selected for Johnson & Johnson’s CEO program, as well as named Entrepreneur of the Year by MAX Texas Chapter. Lastly, her company, Steradian Technologies, was named Startup of the Year by Houston Exponential, Top 10 Most Promising Life Science Startups by Rice Alliance and the Texas Life Science Forum, received the Houston Methodist System Award, and won the ‘One to Watch” MEDy (Medical, Entrepreneurship, and Disruption) Award by NextMed Health. Steradian Technologies was selected and is currently in the Texas Medical Center’s Accelerator for Health.

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VICKI HUFF, PH.D.

Director, Position 9

(3rd Term: Sept 25, 2024 to Jun 30, 2027) Dr. Vicki Huff is a professor in the genetics department at MD Anderson Cancer Center and director of the MD Anderson Advanced Technology Genomics Core facility. Dr. Huff received her Ph.D. in human genetics from the University of Michigan. Her research program at MD Anderson is focused on cancer genetics, primarily on the genetics of Wilms Tumor, a childhood kidney cancer.  

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JESSICA GOOCH, J.D.

Ex-Officio

(Appointed April 1, 2024 – Serves at the pleasure of the City of Houston Mayor) Jessica Gooch, the ex-officio member of the board, is a Municipal Prosecutor and a member of the City of Houston’s Legal Department. As authorized by the Corporation’s Certificate of Formation, the Mayor designates an attorney to serve as an ex-officio (non-voting) member.  Ms. Gooch has been with the legal department of the City of Houston since 2015. In addition to prosecuting Class C Misdemeanors, she also conducts trainings for the Houston Police Department and various other departments within the City of Houston. She has served on the Legislative Liaison team for the Mayor’s Office since 2016. Prior to joining the City of Houston, she represented individuals who were detained by the Department of Homeland Security. She received her law degree from the University of Houston Law Center and her undergraduate degree in Anthropology from Trinity University.  

Natalee Veazey

Board Secretary & Staff Assistant

Natalee Veazey joined HFSC in the summer of 2022 as a member of the Client Services and Case Management division, where she routinely navigated inquiries and requests from the public, attorneys, and police.  She has extensive experience in stakeholder relations and collaboration across departments. Before joining HFSC, she held positions in the hospitality and customer service industries, which is also her academic field of study. She received her B.A. in Hospitality Management with honors from the University of Houston.