The ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) is proud to announce that Deedra Hughes is the recipient of the second annual Terry Burgess Assessor of the Year Award. Established to honor the memory of Terry Burgess, a highly valued ANAB employee, colleague, and friend, the Burgess Award recognizes outstanding service by an ANAB assessor. Ms. Hughes received the award on January 23, 2019, at ANAB's Assessor Development event in Nashville.
A contractor with ANAB since 2010, Ms. Hughes is recognized for her exceptional professionalism, dedication, and customer service in providing assessment for accreditation of forensic testing agencies. She has more than 18 years of experience with the Mississippi Crime Laboratory, examining items of physical evidence for biological fluids, performing DNA analyses, and conducting statistical analyses on DNA profiles. She serves as the DNA technical leader and the administrator of the laboratory's Combined DNA Indexing System (CODIS). CODIS is the FBI's program of support for criminal justice DNA databases that enables federal, state, and local forensic laboratories to exchange and compare DNA profiles electronically to link violent crimes to each other and to known offenders.
ANAB is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). ANAB and ANSI congratulate Ms. Hughes on her award and thank her for her exceptional service.