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Executive Team

Meet The CBI Executive Team:

Image of Director Schaefer in front of a United States flag

CBI Director Chris Schaefer

Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Chris Schaefer has been a member of the Colorado Department of Public Safety since 1995. After serving nine years as a trooper with the Colorado State Patrol, Schaefer was hired by the CBI as an agent to serve in the Major Crimes Section of Investigations beginning in 2004.

He was later promoted to Agent in Charge overseeing the Biometrics Identification and Records Unit, the team responsible for managing the state’s fingerprint system, and the administration of public background checks and employment background checks for nearly 70 professions across Colorado.

Schaefer was promoted to Deputy Director of Investigations in 2018 where he oversaw the Investigations section statewide to include offices in Lakewood, Grand Junction, Montrose, Pueblo and Durango. 

Schaefer was selected to serve as the CBI director beginning in February 2023, becoming the CBI’s 10th director in its rich history.

During his sterling CBI career, Director Schaefer has served as an active member of a number of boards and associations from the Colorado Homicide Investigators Association to the current President of the International Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Investigators Association.  He was also named the CBI’s 2015-16 Outstanding Employee of the Year. 

Deputy Director Ray Butler in front of US flag

Deputy Director Raymond Butler - Support Services

As a Deputy Director for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Raymond "Ray" Butler is responsible for the overall administration for the agency and all Criminal Justice Information Systems maintained in the Support Services Section.

Butler comes to the CBI from the Loveland Police Department where he was assistant chief for more than five years. He brings with him extensive law enforcement experience, including nearly 20 years with the Arizona Department of Public Safety where he served in several units, including overseeing the state’s Support Services Section. He also served as a corporal in the Kingman (AZ.) Police Department and he served in the Navy.

In June 2023, Butler moved to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation as the new deputy director for support services.

Butler is based out of the CBI's Lakewood headquarters.

Deputy Director Volz in front of the flag

Deputy Director Dan Volz - Investigations

A Colorado native, Deputy Director Dan Volz has been a member of the Colorado Department of Public Safety since 1995. He began his career as a trooper with the Colorado State Patrol and was hired by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as an agent in 2004.

Volz has spent time in nearly every investigations assignment, including as a Task Force Officer with the FBI and DEA, with particular experience successfully investigating and dismantling numerous regional and international organized crime groups.

Volz was later promoted to Agent in Charge overseeing the Firearms InstaCheck program, the team responsible for conducting background checks on all firearm transfers and concealed handgun permits within the State. 
A later promotion to Assistant Director brought him back to the Investigations Section where he oversaw the Human Trafficking, Cyber Crime/Identity Theft, Crime Scene, and Special Investigations units.

Volz promoted to CBI Deputy Director overseeing the Investigations Section in February 2023.

Lance Allen in front of the American flag

Deputy Director Lance Allen - Forensic Services

Deputy Director Allen oversees four forensic laboratories across the State. Laboratories regionally located in Denver, Pueblo, Grand Junction, and Greeley are all accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standards and provide forensic testing in DNA casework, latent print analysis, firearms and toolmark analysis, drug chemistry analysis, serology analysis, trace chemistry analysis, digital analysis, DNA database management, and toxicology analysis. 

After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Brigham Young University and a Master of Science in Forensic Science degree from Marshall University, Allen began his career in forensic science as a Forensic Drug Chemist with the Wyoming State Crime Laboratory in 2005. In this position, he tested suspected drugs from possession cases to large distribution cases containing hundreds of pound of controlled substance. He also gained experience as a crime scene responder and expert witness in court.

Deputy Director Allen joined the Colorado Bureau of Investigation in 2013 as the Grand Junction Laboratory Director.  In this role, he supervised up to 20 employees and all forensic analysis in the Grand Junction laboratory.  He also led the Grand Junction laboratory in receiving their initial ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation along with the other CBI laboratories in 2015 and earned the CBI Distinguished Service Medal for his effort. 

Susan Medina, Chief of Staff

Chief of Staff - Susan Medina

Susan Medina has worked in the law enforcement communications field for more than 25 years. She joined the Colorado Bureau of Investigation in 2012 after serving as the spokesperson for the Arvada Police Department for 17 years.

As Chief of Staff for the CBI, Medina’s work involves extensive collaboration with the executive team to determine and prioritize organizational strategies and policies. In addition to managing numerous CBI plans and projects, she offers oversight of the strategic planning process to provide a clear vision and direction for the agency. Medina also works to develop and lead the implementation of the CBI’s communications strategy, as well as provide support to stakeholders around the state.

Her passion is to provide support to members of the CBI and Colorado's public safety community.