Leadership Team

Karen A. Schuler, CFE, Practice Leader

Executive sponsor and strategic team member of the Cyber Security & Information Assurance practice of Kroll, Karen Schuler is a nationally recognized forensic and discovery expert and author with 20 years’ experience  providing expertise and a consultative approach to her clients. She implements and promotes practical and cost-effective business, antifraud, and litigation practices and helps clients uncover data anomalies and investigate issues related to litigation or internal and external data breaches. As a consultant and fraud examiner, she specializes in cases where fraud is suspected and advises her clients on FCPA, marketing deception, money laundering and bribery, insider trading, and theft of intellectual property matters.

Deena Coffman, Chief Operating Officer

Deena Coffman guides the data analytics sector of the division as related to data emerging from investigation, data breach, or dispute. She oversees a team of computer forensics and information security experts committed to the services of data identification; extraction and verification; data cleansing; and data mining and analysis. She has led initiatives in the areas of compliance, security, privacy, information technology, and records management and lends more than 19 years of technology leadership, analytic and forensic experience, and operational excellence to Kroll.

Brian Lapidus, Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships

Brian Lapidus has unique frontline experience helping a wide variety of corporations and organizations safeguard against and respond to data breaches. With an extensive background in organizational development, today he sets direction for the company's continued success in identity theft discovery, investigation, and restoration. Lapidus is particularly knowledgeable about the many security gaps—physical, procedural, and electronic—common to many U.S. companies and organizations, as well as the criminal landscape where stolen identities are bought, sold, and used. He oversees a highly skilled team that includes veteran licensed investigators who specialize in supporting breach victims and restoring individuals' identities to pre-theft status. He also is working with consumer organizations to help ensure responsible practices among businesses that provide identity theft-related services. Lapidus has a bachelor's degree from Washington University with concentration in psychology and business and an MBA from Vanderbilt with concentration in strategy and general management.

Francesca Wolf, Legal Counsel & Compliance Officer

Francesca Wolf provides day-to-day legal guidance and advice to the Cyber Security & Information Assurance practice of Kroll, specializing in data breach notification, data privacy and security, and consumer protection laws. Prior to joining Kroll in 2006, she practiced law in the Nashville office of Bradley, Arant, Boult, & Cummings. She received her B.A. from Tulane University and her J.D. from California Western School of Law, where she was a Justice Anthony Kennedy Scholar and the Executive Editor of the California Western Law Review.

Jeremiah Miller, Director of Product Development

Jeremiah Miller oversees the development and implementation of new products and services for the practice and is certified by the state of Tennessee as a Licensed Investigator. Miller joined Kroll in 2002, performing investigative services for the Kroll Background Screening Special Services Group. Upon joining Kroll’s team of fraud specialists, he was instrumental in the development of the private investigator restoration methodology for working on behalf of identity theft victims and helped establish many of the policies, procedures, and overall methodology still in place today. Miller maintains an expert knowledge of consumer law and identity theft legislation as it pertains to the recovery and restoration of a stolen identity. He has been involved with the restoration of thousands of exposed identities and has aided individuals and organizations alike during the recovery from and response to data breach events.

Karen Mennite, Director of Operations

Unsurpassed in her ability to create an environment that fosters employee empowerment, innovative solutions, and an excellent customer service experience, Karen Mennite oversees project implementation and client integration and is responsible for Kroll's Investigation and Restoration Center—where a dedicated team of licensed investigators with thousands of hours of experience work on behalf of individual identity theft victims. She possesses more than 25 years of experience in the highly regulated fields of insurance and financial services. She guided the successful relocation of life operations for one of the nation's leading multi-line insurers, and later, at the largest independent long-term care insurance marketer in America, directed the delivery of services to more than 500 employees and 800,000+ policyholders.

Dirk Maxwell, Director of Security and Compliance

Dirk Maxwell is the Director of Information Technology for the Cyber Security & Information Assurance practice of Kroll. In this role, Dirk is responsible for managing the organization’s information technology resources, developing and maintaining systems and software that are used by the organization to deliver services to clients, and ensuring the security of all of the organization’s systems and information. Dirk holds a CISSP certification and has more than 20 years of experience in the areas of information technology, security, information assurance, and control. Dirk is also active in the ISSA and is a chapter president for the Open Web Application Security Project. Prior to joining Kroll, Dirk served in information security and IT audit leadership at Dell, Compaq, and Texas Instruments.

Pete Wolf, Director of Computer Forensics & Data Collections Operations

Pete Wolf is the Director of Operations for the Cyber Security & Information Assurance practice of Kroll. An experienced manager of computer forensic investigations, Wolf has more than 13 years in computer-related investigations and eDiscovery and more than 25 years in investigative law enforcement. Responsible for Kroll’s labs within the continental United States, Wolf manages the day-to-day data collections efforts of an expert team dedicated to collections and recovery, forensic analysis, and eDiscovery. He manages both small and large-scale collections and works directly with project managers to provide the highest quality of output. He provides expert testimony and investigative support on various projects, including the acquisition and preservation of computer data and media, maintenance of strict media chain of custody protocols, file and email recovery, and analysis of electronic media.

Susan Moerschel, Director of Public Relations and Communications

Susan Moerschel is the Director of Public Relations and Communications for the Cyber Security & Information Assurance practice of Kroll. In this role, she directs the dissemination of thought leadership from Kroll’s subject matter experts and overall assures that external audiences have access to the information they need. She is responsible for leading the development of educational webinars, reports, white papers, and industry surveys that are insightful and retain their relevance for Kroll’s wide range of audiences. She also spearheads Kroll’s involvement with industry organizations and coalitions, such Kroll’s participation in the Consumer Federation of America’s working group for the development of a best practices guide for providers of identity theft solutions.

Nancy Maynard, Marketing Manager

Nancy Maynard is the Marketing Manager for the Cyber Security & Information Assurance practice of Kroll. In this role, she is responsible for establishing and effectively managing the marketing, advertising, and promotional activities of the practice. This includes creating innovative outreach campaigns to better serve Kroll’s new and existing clients, coordinating speaking events for Kroll’s subject matter experts, and assuring that clients and external audiences alike have access to thought leadership and informational material that they need through all existing communications channels.