About the Regional toxicology liaisons Program

In September 2021, SOFT was awarded the Regional Toxicology Liaison (RTL) Demonstration Project grant by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This cooperative agreement aims to benefit state toxicology programs through increased support, communications, resources, criminal justice system coordination, decreased processing time of toxicology samples, and better data reporting. During the first three years, the project entailed the establishment of Toxicology Liaisons that support states in NHTSA regions 5, 7, and 9 (https://www.nhtsa.gov/about-nhtsa ), to assist with training, collaboration, and the standardization of testing across state labs and the reporting of data to better understand the scope of the drug-impaired driving problem. The RTL Program is overseen by Project Manager, Amy Miles and currently has four Liaisons: Sabra Jones, Chris Heartsill, Kristen Burke, and Matt Slawson.

Since 2021, the RTLs have established key partnerships with the forensic toxicology laboratories in the regions, working to create alignment in testing, funding, and training. In addition to their work with the laboratories, the RTLs have developed and strengthened partnerships with law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, SHSOs, and public health.

Due to the program's success, NHTSA has extended the cooperative agreement with SOFT for another two years. During the next two years, the RTL program will expand to cover more areas of the country. Sabra will be the RTL for the Northeastern portion of the country, which includes NHTSA regions 1, 2, and 3. Chris will remain in NHTSA Region 7 but will add Oklahoma, Texas, and Colorado to create the “Mid-South” region. Kristen will continue to be the RTL for NHTSA Region 9 and add New Mexico to the “West” region. Finally, Amy will become the RTL for NHTSA Region 5, including North Dakota and South Dakota, creating the “Midwest” region. Amy will continue to manage the program.

meet the Regional toxicology liaisons
Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene 
Regional Toxicology Project Manager & Liaison
NHTSA Midwest Region 

Amy Miles is a Program Project Manager at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) and serves as a Regional Toxicology Liaison for the Midwest, supporting MI, OH, IN, IL, WI, MN, SD, ND.  Amy has over 25 years of experience in forensic toxicology.  In addition to her work with the RTL program, Amy is involved in public health as it relates to forensic toxicology.  She is the co-chair of the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) Overdose Biosurveillance Task Force.  Offering resources to public health laboratories performing non-fatal overdose surveillance testing.  Amy partners with the University of Wisconsin on research projects focusing on impaired driving and drugs and human performance.

Amy has given hundreds of presentations on the topic of drugs, alcohol and human performance, and public health at state and national conferences and in-service trainings and has contributed several articles to national publications. She is a member of several professional organizations and committees that pertain to alcohol, drugs and human performance and public health.  Amy is the Past President of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists and is a National Judicial College faculty member.  In 2020, Amy received the IACP DRE Ambassador Award, and in 2023 the Association of Public Health Laboratories’ Gold Standard Award, the Governor’s Highway Safety Association’s Kathryn JR Swanson Public Service Award and the SOFT Teaching and Mentoring Award.  In 2025, Amy received the Robert F. Borkenstein Award.

Regional Toxicology Liaison
NHTSA Northeast Region

Sabra Jones, PhD, D-ABFT-FT is a board-certified forensic toxicologist with expertise in transportation safety, drug-impaired driving, and forensic science systems. She serves as the Regional Toxicology Liaison (RTL) for the Northeastern United States, supporting forensic toxicology laboratories, highway safety offices, law enforcement, prosecutors, and judicial partners across NHTSA Regions 1, 2, and 3.

Dr. Jones’ professional experience spans federal service at the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, postmortem forensic toxicology at the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office, and academic training as an Assistant Professor and graduate mentor in the Biomedical Forensic Sciences Program at Boston University School of Medicine. Through the RTL Program, she provides training, technical assistance, and strategic coordination focused on laboratory capacity, emerging drugs, testimony, and the interpretation of toxicological evidence in impaired driving cases.

She holds a PhD in Forensic Science from Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, a Master of Science degree in Drug Chemistry and Forensic Toxicology from the University of Florida, and undergraduate and graduate degrees in Criminal Justice with a focus on Substance Abuse Studies from the University of Central Oklahoma. Dr. Jones has held national leadership roles in professional organizations, including serving as Past Chair of the National Safety Council’s Alcohol, Drugs, and Impairment Division and in leadership roles within forensic toxicology standards development.

 

Regional Toxicology Liaison
NHTSA Mid-South Region

Chris Heartsill is currently certified by the American Board of Forensic Toxicology as a Diplomate - Forensic Toxicology and received his B.S. degree in Chemistry from East Central University in 1991. Chris has been working in analytical chemistry for over 34 years, with more than 30 years of forensic toxicology experience, including the areas of human performance forensic toxicology, postmortem forensic toxicology, and forensic laboratory quality management.

Chris is currently working as the Regional Toxicology Liaison in the Mid-South Region of the United States. He was previously the Quality Manager for the Dallas Police Department Crime Scene Response Section. Prior to coming to the Dallas Police Department, he served as the Quality Manager for the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office in Fort Worth, Texas and the Toxicology Supervisor, Toxicologist, Quality Manager, and Breath Testing Technical Supervisor at the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office in Dallas, Texas. Chris is an active member of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists, currently serving as the President, member of the Finance Committee, Toxicology Resource Committee, and co-Editor of ToxTalk. Other professional organizations include the Southwestern Association of Toxicologists, serving two individual terms as President, Grant Committee Chair, and Historian, The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists; and the National Safety Council Alcohol, Drugs & Impairment Division, serving on the Executive Board and performing duties as Vice Chair.  Chris participates in the creation of standards, guidelines, and best practices by serving on the OSAC Toxicology Subcommittee. 

 

Regional Toxicology Liaison
NHTSA  Western Region

Kristen is a toxicology expert with 27+ years of experience across forensic, clinical, and workplace drug testing. As the NHTSA Western Region Toxicology Liaison, she supports laboratories across five states and Pacific Territories. Her career includes past experience with directing the CA Department of Justice Toxicology Laboratory, supervising at Sacramento County Crime Lab, and working in private sector toxicology. She has served on multiple advisory boards, including the Federal Drug Testing Advisory Board for SAMHSA and as Chair of California's Impaired Driving Task Force subcommittee. Kristen is an experienced instructor/consultant on testimony training, drug effects, and forensic toxicology applications. She holds a B.S. in Biology, an MBA from USC (2021), and is pursuing an M.S. in AyurVeda Integrative Medicine (expected 2025).

 

Matt Slawson, PhD
Regional Toxicology Liaison
NHTSA  Northwest Region

 

Matt Slawson received his PhD from the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology at the University of Utah in 1997. From there, he served as a research assistant professor with the Center for Human Toxicology performing and publishing research on alternative matrices (hair, sweat, oral fluid), and analytical method research and development involving LC-MS/MS. Matt was also active in teaching graduate students on topics including drug pharmacology and analytical techniques.

During his time at the Center for Human Toxicology, Matt worked to develop the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory, the second WADA accredited laboratory in the U.S. Matt has also served as an inspector for the National Laboratory Certification Program and has participated in several boards and committees related to the field of forensic toxicology including the Federal Drug Testing Advisory Board for SAMHSA, SWG-TOX, SOFT’s publications and applied analytical toxicology committees.

Prior to joining the RTL project for the Northwest region, Matt worked for ARUP labs as a research and development scientist in the clinical toxicology and most recently served for ten years as the Chief Forensic Toxicologist in the Utah Public Health Laboratory for the State of Utah, the state agency responsible for sample analyses serving Utah’s law enforcement community and the office of the medical examiner.

region map

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Regional Toxicology Liaisons Activity Reports