Kenneth E. Melson

Kenneth E. Melson was most recently the Senior Advisor on Forensic Science in the Office of Legal Policy at the US Department of Justice. Prior to that position he was the Acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, having been appointed by President Obama.

In 2007, Mr. Melson was appointed by Attorney General Gonzales as the Director of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, where he was responsible for administrative oversight of the 94 U.S. Attorneys Offices and for liaison between the U.S. Attorneys and other Federal agencies and Department of Justice components. 

After serving as a state prosecutor in Arlington County, Virginia, he joined the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia in 1983, becoming the First Assistant United States Attorney in 1986 where he remained until 2007. 

Mr. Melson was a co-chair of the Subcommittee on Forensic Science, Committee on Science of the National Science and Technology Council within the Executive Office of the President. He is a Past President of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) and a former Chair of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents. 

He was a board member of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB) , and now serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Forensic Sciences and on the Ethics Committee for the AAFS.

Mr. Melson has been an adjunct professor at The George Washington University for over 35 years, teaching law and forensic science courses at both the Law School and the Department of Forensic Sciences. He is published in both scientific texts and legal journals.