Lisa Bailey is a former FBI forensic artist who specialized in forensic facial approximation—the process of estimating an unidentified person’s face based on the shape and features of their skull. Over her 18-year career, she worked on hundreds of cases, including child abductions, homicides, sexual assaults, acts of terrorism, and fugitive investigations.

She served as an adjunct faculty member at the FBI Academy and as an instructor for the Bureau’s Forensic Facial Imaging course, training law enforcement professionals from around the world. Her work regularly brought her into high-level briefings with the CIA, Secret Service, and Defense Intelligence Agency, as well as with senior FBI leadership, including former directors Robert Mueller and James Comey.

Determined to root her discipline in the most current scientific research, Bailey conceived and initiated the first comprehensive forensic facial reference database by collecting digital scans of human skulls—paired with clear, high-quality life photographs of the donors—from the University of Tennessee’s “Body Farm.” This groundbreaking dataset became a vital tool for improving the accuracy and reliability of facial approximation.

Bailey has been featured prominently in major media outlets including The Washington Post, National Public Radio, Dateline NBC, America’s Most Wanted, and A&E’s Real Crime. She was regularly selected to represent the FBI’s forensic facial imaging program on the Bureau’s public website and social media platforms.

Before joining the FBI, Bailey served honorably in the U.S. Navy as a Russian linguist. She holds a degree in art from the University of Maryland in Baltimore and worked as a graphic artist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

Since retiring, she remains connected to the work that meant so much to her—continuing to teach, consult, and advocate for women’s rights in the workplace and the representation of women in STEM careers.