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About the Speakers 2024 Winter Conference

Kyle Burns

Kyle Burns

Kyle Burns currently serves as an Assistant Commonwealth Attorney in the 17th Judicial Circuit. Out of law school, Kyle spent a year clerking in a local personal injury firm and quickly realized that his legal carer was not meant to be spent behind a desk. He began pursuing prosecution opportunities that would given him time in a courtroom and eventually obtained a position with long-time Commonwealth Attorney Jim Crawford in the 15th Judicial Circuit. While working under Jim Crawford, Kyle learned the intricacies of prosecuting felony cases across a multi-county circuit and the need for close attention to details when building a strong case. In the fall of 2012, Kyle had the opportunity to begin to work much closer to home under Commonwealth Attorney Michelle Snodgrass in the 17th Judicial Circuit, where has been for the last eleven years. Kyle’s early years with the 17th Circuit were spent heavily focused on drug crime, as he took over the majority of the trafficking caseload as the heroin epidemic continued to hit the Northern Kentucky region. It was in that capacity that he had the first jury verdict in the Commonwealth of Kentucky for Importing Heroin after the development of the statute. Kyle’s learned attention to detail naturally drew him to the complicated, high-profile murder cases that the office had been pending. This paved away for Kyle’s present caseload which consists primarily of violent crime and repeat offenders. A true trial attorney, Kyle has obtained jury verdicts for a myriad of crimes including, but not limited to, Murder, Tampering with a Witness, Burglary in the First Degree, Possession of a Handgun by a Convicted Felon, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon Rape in the First Degree, Trafficking of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree, Importing Heroin, and Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree.

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Gregory J Davis

After receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Kentucky, Greg Davis obtained the MD degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, whereupon he returned to Kentucky for a clinical internship at the University of Louisville. After Anatomic and Clinical Pathology residency at U of L, he remained in Louisville for his Forensic Pathology fellowship at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. He is certified by the American Board of Pathology in Anatomic Pathology, Clinical Pathology, and Forensic Pathology.

After postgraduate medical training, Dr Davis served as a faculty member at Wake Forest University School of Medicine (formerly Bowman Gray School of Medicine) from 1991-1996, where he was also county medical examiner (death investigator) for Forsyth County and a regional forensic pathologist for the State of North Carolina. In 1996, he returned to Kentucky, where he is now Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, serving, among other duties, as Director of the Division of Forensic Consultation Services, Associate Director of the UK HealthCare Autopsy Service, Advisor to the Residency Training Program, chair of the Core Competency Committee, and pro bono autopsy and forensic consultant to the Veterans Administration Medical Center. From 1998 – 2005, he was Associate Chief Medical Examiner of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and he now serves as pro bono consultant to the Office of the Kentucky State Medical Examiner. He is also Professor in the Department of Toxicology and Cancer Biology of the College of Medicine, Interdisciplinary Fellow of the UK College of Law, and has served on the Forensic Test Committee of the American Board of Pathology and as Chair and Advisor to the Forensic Pathology Committee, Chair of the Technology Assessment Committee, and member of the Autopsy Committee of the College of American Pathologists, the leading organization of board-certified pathologists, serving patients, pathologists, and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine. Dr Davis has testified as an expert in forensic medicine, pathology, and toxicology in 21 states, US Federal Court, and the Republic of Singapore. He serves on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Forensic Sciences (the official journal of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences), the Canadian Society of Forensic Sciences Journal, The Pharos, and Forensic Science, Medicine, and Pathology. He hosts a weekly radio spot, “Dr Greg Davis on Medicine,” on WUKY 91.3 FM University of Kentucky Public Radio/National Public Radio, http://wuky.org/term/dr-greg-davis-medicine.

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Wesley Duke

Wesley Duke graduated from Paintsville High School in 1989. After graduation he attended Georgetown College and graduated in 1993. Upon graduation from Georgetown he attended the University of Kentucky and completed a Masters degree in Rehabilitation Counseling in 1995. Duke attended law school at Valparaiso University and graduated in 1999.

From 2000-2007 he was in in private practice in Paintsville, Kentucky. During this period of time he served 4 years as Paintsville City Attorney.

In 2007 he took a position as an attorney with the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet representing the Kentucky Department of Corrections and remained in this position until 2013 when he joined the Office of the Attorney General. While at the Attorney General’s office he served as Executive Advisor to the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Asst. Director of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and finally Acting Director of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.

During his time at the Attorney General’s office he represented the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the criminal prosecution of health care fraud cases and abuse and neglect of the elderly. Additionally he represented the Commonwealth in complex civil litigation including Commonwealth of Kentucky v. Purdue Pharma and Commonwealth of Kentucky v. Fresenius.

During his 16 years in Frankfort he has represented the Commonwealth of Kentucky at all levels of State and Federal Courts including the Supreme Court of the United States.

In 2019 he was appointed as General Counsel of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services by Governor Andy Beshear.

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Jennifer Dunn

Jennifer Dunn has been the Director of the Waukesha County Victim/Witness Assistance Program since 1997. Prior to that, she worked as a legal advocate for victims of domestic violence. She received her law degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1994. In 2021, Jennifer Dunn was honored with the U.S. Department of Justice National Crime Victims’ Service Award.

Jen is a representative for the Wisconsin Victim Witness Professionals Association, and the Chair of the Crime Victims’ Rights Board. She has served on the Crime Victims Council and is active in numerous other community and state organizations. Jen enjoys training, and has been an adjunct professor at the Waukesha Technical College Law Enforcement Academy for many years, as well as teaching courses in family violence, crime victims’ rights and services, and management at Carroll University and Marquette University.

During her career, Jen has responded to several mass violent incidents, including 3 mass casualty shootings and the Waukesha Christmas Parade tragedy.

Jen’s family includes a very understanding husband and daughter, a less understanding terrier, Remy, and Pepper, the Waukesha Victim Assistance Facility Dog.

Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Michelle M. Keller, serving the 6th Supreme Court District, is photographed Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, in the Supreme Court Chambers at the State Capitol in Frankfort, Ky. (AOC photo/Brian Bohannon)

Justice Michelle M. Keller

Justice Michelle M. Keller was appointed to the Kentucky Supreme Court in April 2013. She was subsequently elected in both 2014 and 2022 for two full terms on the Court. Prior to her service on the Supreme Court, Justice Keller was elected as Judge on the Kentucky Court of Appeals in November 2006. Justice Keller has served as the Court of Appeals representative on the Judicial Conduct Commission and Chairperson of the Court of Justice’s Technology Governance Committee, and is currently serving as Chairperson of the Kentucky Access to Justice Commission and Criminal Rules Committee.

Prior to her service on the bench, Justice Keller practiced law for 17 years. She served as an Assistant County Attorney for her home county of Kenton. Her private practice concentrated in the areas of medical negligence and product liability defense, personal injury, family law, and criminal defense. Justice Keller also practiced administrative law, representing numerous clients before state regulatory and licensure boards. She is Chairwoman Emeritus of the Kentucky Personnel Board and has served as a hearing officer and member of that Board. Justice Keller is licensed to practice law in Kentucky, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and the United States Supreme Court. She is a member of the Honorary Order of Kentucky Colonels and has twice been commended by the Kentucky House of Representatives for her service to the Commonwealth.

Justice Keller attended Northern Kentucky University’s Chase College of Law while working as a licensed registered nurse in critical care. At Chase, Justice Keller was an IOLTA Scholar, earning her Juris Doctor in 1990. Chase presented Justice Keller with both the Chase Excellence and Chase Exceptional Service Awards in 2007 and 2011, respectively.

Additionally, Justice Keller was named a 2012 Outstanding Woman of Northern Kentucky honoree for her commitment to public service and community involvement. She was honored on Law Day in 2013 with the Richard D. Lawrence Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Northern Kentucky Bar Association (“NKBA”). Justice Keller was honored in 2014 with the Liberty Bell Award for her service to the Court of Justice, and in 2016 she was inducted into the Lloyd Memorial High School (her alma mater) Alumni Hall of Fame. In December 2017, Justice Keller was the first woman presented with the Distinguished Lawyer of the Year Award by the NKBA. Recently, the Kentucky Bar Association (“KBA”) honored Justice Keller with the 2020 Distinguished Judge Award.

Justice Keller has served in various positions for the NKBA, KBA, and the American Bar Association. In 2009, she received the KBA’s Donated Legal Services Award for her commitment to Pro Bono service and support of Kentucky’s legal services organizations. She is a Master in the Salmon P. Chase Inn of Court and served as President of the Inn from 2012-13. Justice Keller is also a Fellow of both the American and Kentucky Bar Foundations.

A lifelong Northern Kentuckian, Justice Keller and her husband, Jim, a physician, are the proud parents of two adult daughters. One serves as a public health practitioner and the other is a practicing attorney.

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Koleen R. Slusher

Koleen R. Slusher LCSW, serves as the facility director at Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center (KCPC), which operates under the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (BHDID) as Kentucky’s sole forensic psychiatric hospital. Koleen previously served as the division director of behavioral health at BHDID where she was the co-principal investigator for statewide grants and oversaw the funding and programming aspects of behavioral health services. Koleen worked at Central State Hospital as the director of social work, Louisville Metro Department of Corrections, and Seven Counties Services as a clinical supervisor, clinician, and medical necessity trainer. She currently serves as an academic peer reviewer for the Journal of Forensic Social Work. Koleen received an undergraduate degree from the University of Kentucky, a graduate degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, and is a current doctoral student at the University of Kentucky College of Social Work.

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Lesli Boese

Lesli Boese is a Deputy District Attorney in the Waukesha County District Attorney’s Office. Lesli’s dad was a police officer in Waukesha and she knew early on that she wanted to become a prosecutor. She received her BBA in General Business with a Pre-Law Emphasis from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and she graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School, where she had the opportunity to intern in the Waukesha DA’s Office. After graduation, she worked as a Special Prosecutor in the Waukesha DA’s Office and as an Assistant District Attorney in the Fond du Lac DA’s Office. One year after graduation, she became a fulltime ADA in Waukesha County and has been with the Waukesha DA’s Office for over 28 years. She is currently the head of the Drug Unit.

Lesli has lived in Waukesha County her whole life and continues to live in Waukesha County with her two rescue dogs.

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Sue Opper

Sue Opper is a 30+ year veteran of the Waukesha County prosecutor’s office, and has held the position of District Attorney since January, 2015.

Sue began her career as an Assistant District Attorney in the Waukesha County District Attorney’s office on May 23, 1991. Prior to that, Sue attended the University of Wisconsin and graduated with a BA in Letters and Science. Sue earned her Juris Doctorate from Marquette University Law School in 1991.

Sue has prosecuted well over 100 jury trials and every type of case the office handles, from traffic offenses to first degree intentional homicide. From 2008-2014, she was the Director of the Narcotics Unit for the Waukesha County Metro Drug Enforcement Group. Sue has also previously been assigned to the Juvenile Division and the Domestic Violence Division. Notably, Sue was the lead prosecutor on a no-body cold case homicide, the Waukesha Christmas parade and dozens of Len Bias fatal overdose prosecutions.

Sue currently is the Board President of Crime Stoppers of Waukesha County and previously served on the Board of Directors for the Your Choice Program. Sue also teaches in the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Department at the Waukesha County Technical College.

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Zach Wittchow

Assistant District Attorney, Waukesha County DA’s Office

Zach Wittchow is a line prosecutor in the Waukesha DA’s Office. He attended Northwestern University and graduated with a BA in History and Political Science in 2011. In 2014 he graduated from Marquette Law School in Milwaukee. He started his career in the Milwaukee County DA’s office where he specialized in prosecuting narcotics, non-fatal shootings, and gang violence. After five years in Milwaukee he moved to his current position in Waukesha, where he is part of the narcotics team.

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Michael Zimmerman

Michael Zimmerman has been with the Campbell County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office since 2014. During his time as a prosecutor, Michael has handled thousands of cases that cover the spectrum of criminal activity ranging from drug possession and shopliftings up to murders and sexual assaults against children.

As the Chief Assistant Commonwealth Attorney, he handles a caseload comprised of the highest-level charges in Campbell County, predominantly consisting of Class A and Class B felonies. The majority of Michael’s time is spent focused on seeking justice for victims of crimes, whether it is individuals whose homes were broken into, female joggers who have been attacked, citizens struck by impaired drivers, or those whose relatives have been murdered.