M.J. Menendez joined the FRFF Board in 2019. A courtroom attorney by training and practice, M.J. has been litigating in federal and state courts for twenty-six years. M.J. was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Colorado for 13 years. During that time, she served on detail in the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) in Washington, D.C., where she was the Fentanyl and Heroin Major Projects Coordinator. M.J. began her prosecution career in the District Attorney’s Office in Gilpin and Jefferson Counties, Colorado and returned to the jurisdiction to serve as a District Court Judge in Jefferson County, presiding over criminal, civil, family law, and dependency and neglect proceedings from 2006 to 2009. She was responsible for the creation and implementation of Jefferson County’s Controlled Substance Recovery Court. Beginning in January 2024, M.J. will serve as the Executive Vice-President for the National Association of Medical Examiners as part of her duties as a Senior Fellow at the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education located within the Fredric Rieders Family Foundation. M.J. proudly partners with Dr. Barry Logan and Mr. Thom Browne of the Columbo Plan to promote best practices in international collaboration and substance identifications.