As submitted by AAFS:
The American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Board of Directors (BOD) appreciates the opportunity to comment on Dr. Tallman's opinion piece, dated November 6, 2020. Dr. Tallman, who chaired two diversity committees, complained of a lack of commitment to diversity and inclusion by the leadership of the Academy. A survey was referenced, but one that represented approximately 3.2% of the entire Academy membership and may possibly have included non-members and only one forensic discipline. While we respect and encourage ever-increasing attention to diversity and inclusiveness issues at the Academy, we believe that Dr. Tallman’s concerns are misplaced.
The Academy’s BOD voted to dissolve the Anthropology Diversity and Inclusion Committee in order to ensure a broad, coordinated approach to fostering diversity and inclusion. This was done to transfer the initiatives developed by the Anthropology Diversity and Inclusion Committee (DIC) to the Academy-wide Diversity and Outreach Committee (DOC), which represents the Academy’s entire membership, as opposed to a single discipline. Given that Dr. Tallman was Chair of the DOC, the BOD had every confidence he would continue to foster and develop diversity and inclusion at the Academy.
The AAFS BOD has been committed to fostering and enhancing diversity and inclusion for nearly 10 years with its establishment of a Presidential Ad Hoc Diversity Committee in 2011 and it remains so today. The Academy has appointed a new DOC Chair, a DOC liaison to the BOD, and we anticipate that by the end of this calendar year, a survey will be issued to the entire Academy membership to broadly solicit opinions around these important issues. We have also adopted a Diversity and Inclusion Statement for our membership to follow in an effort to further promote diversity and inclusion at the Academy. Moreover, the June 2020 President’s Spotlight discussed how the Academy has and will continue to address diversity, inclusion, and the intolerance of social injustice and biases in our profession.1 Finally, the BOD intends to further enhance these efforts by sponsoring multiple events, forums and activities to highlight and increase diversity and inclusion.
We have confidence that the Academy-wide DOC will bring many of our initiatives to fruition, and we look forward to moving together in promoting and enhancing diversity and inclusion in the forensic sciences.
2020-21 AAFS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Officers:
Jeri D. Ropero-Miller, PhD – President
Carl R. McClary, MS – President-Elect
Laura C. Fulginiti, PhD – Vice President
C. Ken Williams, MS, JD – Treasurer
Christopher R. Thompson, MD – Secretary
Zeno J. Geradts, PhD – Past President
Directors:
Paula Brumit, DDS – Odontology
James L. Caruso, MD – Pathology Biology
Joanna L. Collins, MFS – General
Sarah Kerrigan, PhD – Toxicology
Jennifer C. Love, PhD – Anthropology
Mark I. Marpet, PhD , PE – Engineering & Applied Sciences
Anjali A. Ranadive, JD – Criminalistics
Marcus Rogers, PhD – Digital & Multimedia Sciences
Karen B. Rosenbaum, MD – Psychiatry & Behavioral Science
Thomas W. Vastrick, BS – Questioned Documents