ACAMS US Capital Chapter January 2026 Virtual Event: Expanding Partnerships in Combatting the Fentanyl Threat

Barbara is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) and, as Principal at BIKConsulting LLC, she currently consults on anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regulatory issues. Barbara also co-leads workshops on AML compliance for financial intelligence units and central bankers in emerging market countries under the auspices of the Financial Services Volunteer Corps. In addition, she served as an Examination Task Force Vice Chair for the recent revision of the CAMS examination and study guide.

Barbara retired from federal service in August 2013. She spent the last four years of her federal career in a senior executive position at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, FinCEN, where she oversaw the activities of the compliance and enforcement offices. She joined FinCEN in 2009 after 26 years with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). As an assistant director at GAO, she managed many assignments dealing with AML compliance and enforcement, and interagency cooperation and coordination.

Barbara serves on the boards of directors of the ACAMS US Capital Chapter, Women in Housing and Finance, and Global Ties U.S.

Email: keller.barb@gmail.com

Steve Gurdak is the initiative manager for the Washington Baltimore HIDTA’s Northern Virginia Financial Initiative (NVFI) and a member of George Mason University faculty. The initiative has served as a model SAR Review Team for over 15 years. Steve received FinCEN’s 2021 Director’s Law Enforcement Award “For Effectively Using Bank Secrecy Act Data to Safeguard the Financial System from Abuse by Illicit Actors.” This is just one of an impressive list of awards Steve and the NVFI has received for SAR and other BSA based investigations. Steve has over 30 years of law enforcement experience. Steve regularly trains new detectives and agents. He has written a number of articles, done webinars, and various presentations promoting better financial investigation literacy.

Jeff Beeson was appointed executive director of the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (W/B HIDTA) on January 9, 2024. His responsibilities include overall administration of the W/B HIDTA, a multi-million grant program funded out of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. The W/B HIDTA supports law enforcement, treatment and prevention, intelligence, management, and training initiatives throughout Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, and parts of West Virginia. Jeff serves as the Chair of the Performance Management Committee for the national HIDTA program and as a member of the Nationwide Deconfliction Council.  He also serves as the executive director of the George Mason University Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy-W/B HIDTA Program, and as executive director of the University of Baltimore’s Center for Public Safety Innovation. 

Prior to his appointment as executive director, Jeff Beeson served as the W/B HIDTA’s deputy director and chief of staff for almost eight years. During that time, he managed the W/B HIDTA’s staff and overall budget, the W/B HIDTA’s Overdose Response Strategy, as well as the region’s training initiatives. Jeff was also responsible for the development of the Overdose Response Mapping Application (ODMAP), a nation-wide overdose tracking and alert system serving over 5,000 users in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. In 2020, Jeff was awarded the HIDTA Staff Member of the Year from the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Prior to joining the W/B HIDTA, Jeff served as assistant vice president of applied research at Towson University, where he oversaw a portfolio of federal and state grants and contracts supporting public safety initiatives. He was appointed to several leadership positions within the State of Maryland, including Deputy Assistant Secretary of Workforce, executive director for the Maryland Correctional Enterprises Management Council, and Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.  He began his career as a congressional staffer for U.S.  Senator Barbara A. Mikulski of Maryland. 

Jeff has a Master’s Degree in Social Sciences, with a focus in criminal justice and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.

Dr William Scott Grob, CAMS-FCI, CGSS, FRM, CAIA, is the Director of Research and Analysis, responsible for promoting quantitative research methods. He has built customized programs, such as the two Illegal Wildlife Trade certificates developed with the WWF & WJC and the two Ending Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking with the FAST Initiative & Polaris. Previously, he was the ACAMS AML Director for the Americas and Asia. Dr. Grob has over 25 years of financial and banking expertise. His most recent role was as Regional Head of Affiliates Management, HSBC, where he worked on mitigating financial crime and correspondent banking risks across Asia. His 12-year career at the bank also included managing risk within the Equity/FX prime brokerage business, Structured Funds business, and Hedge Fund units.