Program Faculty and Course Developers


The M.S. DIM program faculty and course developers represent a broad spectrum of expertise from a variety of backgrounds. Faculty, developers, and program management includes:


Gary C. Kessler, Ed.S., CCE, CISSP

DIM 500 (The Practice of Digital Investigation), DIM 590 (Capstone Project)

Gary is an Associate Professor and M.S. DIM Program Director, as well as an Adjunct Associate Professor at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia. He was the developer and first program director of the undergraduate Computer & Digital Forensics, where he still teaches, as well as the developer of the M.S. DIM program. Gary is also a member of the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, where he is the outreach coordinator and lead mobile phone forensic examiner. Gary holds a B.A. in Mathematics, an M.S. in Computer Science, and an Ed.S. in Computing Technology in Education (CTE), and is currently working on his Ph.D. dissertation. Gary is the associate editor of the Journal of Digital Forensic Practice, is on the editorial board of the Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law, and is a referee for Digital Investigation. Gary is a member of the High Technology Crime Investigation Association (HTCIA), the High Tech Crime Consortium (HTCC), and is a frequent speaker at industry events.
Anne Cucinelli, M.A., J.D., Esq.

DIM 580 (Legal Issues for Management)

Anne is a graduate of Vermont Law School (cum laude) and is a member of the Vermont Bar. She also holds a B.S. degree in Law Enforcement (with highest honors) from Northeastern University in Boston, and an M.A. degree in Criminal Justice from Anna Maria College in Massachusetts. A former county and state prosecutor in Vermont, she's currently a college instructor of graduate and undergraduate courses in pre-law, paralegal, political science, business law, and criminal justice. Anne's career has ranged from her years as an FBI Special Agent to serving as the chief investigator for the federal government's John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Review Board to her licensure as a private investigator. Anne traveled the globe in 2003 for the U.S. Department of State, consulting on counter-terrorism issues at U.S. embassies and consulates. Her current focus is on the development of college courses and workshops on topics of counter-terrorism, national security, and criminal law topics, as well as developing graduate level law courses for non-attorneys.
Frank Kardasz, Ed.D.

DIM 550 (Computer Forensics Laboratory Operation and Management)

Dr. Frank Kardasz is a sergeant with the Phoenix Arizona Police Department and commander for the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Frank began his law enforcement career in 1978 and served in Michigan before moving to Arizona in 1984. He earned a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice from Madonna University in Michigan, a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Arizona State University, and a Doctorate of Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. He teaches and lectures nationwide on the subject of Internet crimes against children and has been published in several places on various law enforcement related subjects.
Warren G. Kruse II, CFCE, CISSP

DIM 540 (Current Topics in Digital Investigations)

Warren is the Vice President of Data Forensics and Analytics at Encore Discovery. He heads up the Encore business unit that assists law firms and corporate legal departments with litigation readiness, data collection, preservation of evidence, computer forensics, incident response and cybercrime prevention. Prior to joining Encore, Warren was managing director of the IT risk consulting practice at Aon Corporation. Previously, he was senior director of the Northeast Region for the data forensics practice at Kroll. Warren also served as investigations manager for cyber investigations and forensics at Lucent Technologies. He is the coauthor of Computer Forensics: Incident Response Essentials, an Addison Wesley textbook, and is a frequent lecturer on the subjects of computer forensics, incident response, and cybercrime. He has extensive experience in computer forensic cases involving some of the largest law firms and corporations in the world and has conducted forensic analyses globally in support of numerous cases, from civil disputes to criminal prosecutions at the federal level. He has testified as a computer forensic expert, including testifying for the SEC. Warren is an IACIS Certified Forensic Computer Examiner (CFCE) and an (ISC)2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). He is also a member of numerous government-sponsored initiatives, including board member of the National Center for Forensic Science's Digital Evidence Certification Committee.

Robert Simpson, J.D., Esq.

DIM 530 (Legal Aspects of Digital Investigation)

Bob Simpson retired as Chittenden County (Vermont) State?s Attorney in 2006. He has practiced law for more than 30 years and has tried well over one hundred jury trials to verdict. Simpson began teaching evenings at Champlain College in 1990 and was named Program Director for the Criminal Justice Program at Champlain in 2007. Simpson teaches Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Juvenile Justice, White-Collar Crime, and the Law of Searching and Seizing Digital Evidence.

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