CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — Beverley East is an internationally recognized forensic document examiner, graphologist, author and media consultant on high-profile criminal cases, like JonBenét Ramsey, the D.C. Sniper profile and the Anthrax Killer. She’s spent more than three decades lending her expertise across three countries, established offices in Washington, D.C. and London while publishing her fourth book. This week, several guests of Lehigh Valley LaunchBox Ladies and its Ambassadors Circle enjoyed an evening with this sought-after expert, listening to her ironic entry into the field and points of intrigue in the countless cases she’s engaged ever since.
Beverley East, Certified Forensic Document Examiner
“We were so pleased to have Beverley as a guest at the event,” Lehigh Valley Chancellor Tina Q. Richardson said. “Sponsored by St. Luke’s University Health Network, the night truly underscored the complicated journey of a professional woman and inspired all as Beverley shared some of her more noteworthy accomplishments in this highly specialized field.”
East said she believes her career found her. After being selected out of 600 women for a headhunter position, she began to wonder what allowed her team to work together so efficiently and with such ease. She later learned that each member was selected through a handwriting analysis. Piquing her interest, East studied to become a graphologist and forensic document examiner.
East handles cases including money laundering, embezzlement, fraud and prenuptial disputes, she said. “Anything you can sign, I’ve seen it forged,” East said at the event. She detailed her experiences, including the brief time she spent in the Witness Protection Program because of a case she was assisting. She explained how cases could span one week to over a year as she described her most challenging case, which involved investigating 632 documents over a 14-month period. East described how she was once interviewed by 13 different lawyers while on the witness stand and using her expertise, helped her client win the case.
East said she has faced challenges as a woman of color, expressing how she often was not respected for her expertise. In response, she said, she would use her expertise to highlight document flaws, changing the minds of those who doubted her. East offered the following words of advice at the event: “If you are being rejected, don’t let the rejection determine what it is you want to do," she said.
The LaunchBox Ladies was founded in 2017. Since then, it has established a network of more than 1,000 community and university stakeholders to date and has assisted in funding approximately 30 women-led companies. The LaunchBox Ladies has also hosted 22 events and connected with more than 1,800 attendees.
The Ambassadors Circle expands the impact of the LaunchBox Ladies and is a circle of influence to support and elevate the status of women entrepreneurs in the Lehigh Valley. The circle is designed to inspire, engage, and cultivate the power of women entrepreneurs. It presents a unique opportunity for women leaders to support other women in business. To learn more about joining the Ambassadors Circle, please visit the Ambassadors Circle webpage.