The 2022 event brought together industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers to spotlight innovation, leadership, and collaboration in the life sciences. Attendees gained fresh insights and built meaningful connections to advance their professional journeys.
The 3rd Annual Life Science Women's Conference, co-founded by Patti Rossman and Steve Fiske, is an unparalleled opportunity for women to accelerate their careers in the life science field through mentoring, networking, and education. As president of the life sciences consulting firm, Globiox, headquartered in Austin, Texas, Patti knows the importance of women taking leadership roles in life sciences, thus creating the concept behind The Life Science Women's Conference.
Mentorship, networking, and education are fundamentals to climbing any career ladder and the tools acquired at this event are specifically structured for women seeking advancement. The speakers program is designed to greatly contribute to educational and professional development. Our lineup of presenters will include some of the best and brightest in their distinct field of expertise. These powerful women will be focusing on women's enlightenment, career development, leadership role, networking, mentorship, and empowerment.
Your professional development matters. Find the opportunity to move forward by engaging in conversations with other industry leaders. Explore topics like:
Get the gears turning for your business. Meet venture capitalists, angel investors, family offices and sources of funding in government on hand to listen to your startup needs. Connect with potential business partners and companies in this supportive, exciting forum. Explore topics like:
Join the conversation and learn how to lead without limits, paving the way to success. Explore the value of wisdom, harness your leadership qualities, and be courageous. Lead by Chief Quality Officer Melissa Seymour of Biogen and J.J Snow, departing CTO for the United States Air Force and current CTO for the Mentor Project.
Be one of ten to present your pitch and pave the future for your idea or company. Apply to participate in the 2022 Pitch Competition, feedback provided by experienced funders across all facets of the life sciences.
Explore career strategies, career paths, successes and failures. Work together to overcome the specific challenges women in the Life Sciences face, and engage in workshops designed just for you. Explore topics like
Dive into the life-changing stories of exemplary industry leaders. Engage with the personal and professional stories of industry leaders within the Life Sciences, featuring women from Johnson & Johnson. Find your next step through their stories and build relationships that will pave your future path.
An innovator, Patti started Globiox eight years ago with the belief that her company could help other companies, through Quality, Compliance, IT and Regulatory consulting, to improve performance and combat their inefficiencies. Today, Globiox provides companies in the fields of pharmaceuticals, IT, biotech, medical devices, and laboratories with consultative services that get them on the right track to regulatory and quality compliance and efficient computerized workflows. Under the leadership of Ms. Rossman, Globiox has provided a host of consultative services to US Companies from Coast to Coast and Internationally. Globiox’s team of experts, many with over 20 years of FDA regulated industries experience, work directly with their clients developing relationships based on providing professional services and expertise as well as building trust with their clients. Patti Rossman is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, and the Software Quality Institute in the Department of Engineering, University of Texas at Austin. She is a Certified Software Quality Engineer (ASQ). One of her current projects is spurring the conversation for gender diversity in the Life Science industry through the Life Science Women’s Conference.Her progressive and visionary thinking compelled her to create the Life Science Women’s Conference, held annually in Tampa, Florida. “By every industry statistic and reality, women are woefully under-represented in the Life Sciences,” says Patti. “The Life Science Women’s Conference will encourage more women to make a long-term career in the Life Sciences and provide an environment where they will make those contacts essential for networking, mentorship and career development."
Eva Dias is a Senior Business Executive, whom has developed her career in Human Resources within 4 big corporations, all leaders in their industry – Philip Morris, L’Oréal, Novartis and IFF – International Flavours & Fragrances. Eva has worked in different industries and business models, taken on a number of leading roles with increasing responsibilities, in several regions and countries around the globe, such as Brazil, Portugal, Switzerland, France and US with frequent exposure to Asia/Pacific, Africa and Middle Eastern markets. Eva’s last role with IFF was VP, Global Head Human Resources for the Fragrance Division. She speaks 4 languages fluently – English, Portuguese, Spanish and French. Most recently, she has decided to reach new heights in her career to establish her own Human Resources practice and founded Phoenix, Human Capital Solutions, LLC, based in Miami, Florida. Its main purpose is to becoming a top source of solutions to help people and organizations grow and deliver at the highest and fullest of their capabilities. With more than 30 years of experience in Human Resources, she is able to offer solutions in most areas, such as, but not limited to: Recruitment, Executive & Career Coaching, Alignment of Greatest Performing Teams, Culture Transformation, Leadership Training, Compliance, Implementation of HR processes, Diversity & Inclusion. She has also the ambition of becoming a catalyst of happiness and joy at work for those she supports, by helping them to find the purpose of what they do and the difference they can make in the world. By doing that, she firmly believes they will increase their level of self- satisfaction and engagement in everything they do. A Brazilian American, Eva holds a B.S. in Business Administration from University Sao Judas Tadeu in Brazil. In addition, she has attended several Executive Education Training Programs in the top Business Schools in the US, such as Harvard, Stanford and Tuck. She has also been mentored by Kevin Cashman, one of the top Executive Coaches in America. She is a certified Core Energy Coach from iPEC (an ICF recognized institution), also certified in the DISC tool, and a Public Speaker in different Human Resources related topics. She is also a member of 2 different associations: BNI (Business Network International) and BioFlorida .
Marcey Walsh is Principal Consultant at Strategic Brilliance Consulting, where she specializes in workforce performance improvement and custom learning solutions. She is the creator of the ‘Pictures You Touch’ method used by RDs and Diabetes Educators to boost rates of compliance.Marcey has over three decades of experience in curriculum design, working in corporate and education systems in end-user and train the trainer formats. Her interactive, neuro-based approach has made her popular with medical and financial organizations that need high interaction and real-life scenarios to reach and teach their important teams. She holds a B.S. from the Pennsylvania State University and advanced certifications in Communications, Presentations, and Diplomacy and Tact for Dale Carnegie Training. Marcey is also a Certified Dale Carnegie Trainer and Certified Business Coach. Marcey lives on Anna Maria Island, Florida, and is a Professional Member of the National Speakers Association.
Jennifer Lauria Clark, CPIP is the Executive Director of Strategic Development for CAI, where she is responsible for business development, key account management, marketing, and consulting support. She has over 16 years of experience in regulated industries. Previously she held positions as a consultant where she provided services for Merck, BD, GSK, Biogen and others. Jennifer Lauria Clark has been a Member of ISPE for more than 18 years and actively involved in the Society's local and international activities. She is Past President of the ISPE CaSA Chapter, is a Past Chair of ISPE’s Young Professionals Committee, and currently is the Chair for both the ISPE Annual Meeting Planning Committee as well as the Women In Pharma® Steering Committee. Jennifer Lauria Clark also finished a four-year stint as a Director on the ISPE International Board. She has a degree in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University. Jennifer Lauria Clark earned her ISPE CPIP designation in 2012. She is currently working towards her MBA in the Poole College of Management at NC State University.Jennifer’s passion is people and her family. She enjoys spending time to get to know individuals and help solve their problems. She has a global network of mentors, teammates, colleagues, and friends who help her succeed in today’s business world. Jennifer is a champion for students and young professionals trying to find their way in industry. Jennifer’s global experience has given her the ability to work with others, share stories, and see the world a little bit differently.
At Opticyte, we are committed to transforming the standard of care for the leading causes of organ failure, including sepsis. The problem is massive, is expensive to treat, and leads to one death every 2.8 seconds globally.Current technologies including pulse oximeters fail to provide clinicians with the definitive data they need to diagnose, monitor, and treat patients in real-time, when they have the best chance of preventing organ failure. Opticyte's Cell O2 Monitor is the first and only single solution to provide definitive, continuous, and actionable insights for this critical unmet need. Opticyte's executive and advisory team includes pioneers in new optical spectroscopy and multivariate analysis technology, leaders in medical device commercialization, and medical clinicians.The company’s early funding successes, research validation, and product development milestones provide credibility and reinforce our position as a disruptive medical device innovator.https://www.opticyte.com/.
Daniela Gracey is a Project Manager and Associate at CRB. Her experience includes over 15 years in the life sciences, pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Daniela's career has evolved by performing various roles throughout the capital construction project life cycle, including pre-construction, procurement, project controls, document control, turnover, commissioning, and program management. Her broad and versatile background has provided the opportunity to expand her project management skills to include design projects as well. Daniela started her Lean Project Delivery (design and construction) journey 5 years ago and is a strong proponent of the benefits an integrated and collaborative project delivery approach provides. Energized by continuous learning and improvement on the implementation of lean principles, she is currently the Lean Champion for CRB's Southeast Region. Now fueling her career passion by focusing on personal growth as a leader and mentor, Daniela engages in and develops meaningful and purposeful connections with team members not only to build a collaborative environment, but to also help guide others on their desired career paths and journeys. Daniela is a current member of the Lean Construction Institute (LCI) and the LCI Carolinas Community of Practice. She is also a former member of National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Raleigh, NC.Daniela has been an industry presenter and contributor, including: ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo, “Off-Site Construction Delivery Method of Mechanical Penthouse of Facility Expansion (2016)”; LCI Congress, “Pulling Takt Into Design Phase (2020)”; and ISPE CaSA Life Science Technology Conference, “Applying Lean Execution Tools on a Fast Track Project (2021)”.
In a story of overcoming adversity to become a scientist, Clemson Bioengineering Professor Renee N. Cottle will share her journey in academia and current research on a novel curative gene editing therapy for genetic diseases affecting the liver. Learn more about the Nobel Prize Winning CRISPR-Cas9 and more at this session.Dr. Renee Cottle is an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Clemson University. She earned her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University in 2015. She completed a T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Cardiovascular Research at Medical University of South Carolina in 2016 and started her faculty position at Clemson in August 2016.Her expertise is in gene editing, gene therapy, and nonviral delivery strategies. Dr. Cottle’s research group is focused on cell-based gene therapies for inherited metabolic diseases of the liver. Her research addresses technical barriers to advancing novel gene therapies for genetic disorders. Regarding her panel, The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) system has proven to be the most promising gene editing tool available for therapeutic applications due to its facile design and robust targeting activity in human cells. Coupling it with a donor template offers advantages, though there are several barriers that impede its clinical application. Explore her and her team's research at the conference.
Emily Caporello, Ph.D. is the Program Director of the Small Business Program in the Division of Translational Research (DTR) at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).Previously, Dr. Caporello served as a Scientific Project Manager in the NINDS Small BusinessProgram. Prior to joining NINDS, Dr. Caporello was the Vice President of Research and co-founder of MindX Corporation, a small business focused on brain computer interface technology. Dr. Caporello previously worked as a Senior Neuroscientist at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and co-founded CleverPet, a small business focused on automated behavioral training technology. Dr. Caporello received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of California SanDiego.
Dr. Leigh Holcomb is the Founder and CEO of Career Catalyst Edge and is a Career & Transition Coach for the Life Science Industry. Leigh started on the traditional Academic path of Post-doc in Neuroscience and then became an Assistant Professor at Texas A&M. She transitioned to the Pharmaceutical Industry and has 10+ years of Medical Science Liaison (MSL) and Medical Information Experience. Leigh also served 2-year stint as a Life Science Executive Recruiter placing candidates in Pharma, Biotech and Medical Device companies. She uses coaching techniques learned from the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC) as a catalyst for your positive change, encouraging you to grow outside your comfort zone to reach your next level in your career & life. Certified as an Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner (ELI-MP), Leigh supports her coaching clients as they effectively design their Career Path to align with their values and life aspirations.
Dr. Jessica Forbes received her B.S. in Communications and Rhetoric from The University at Albany in 2009. She went on to obtain her M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from The College of Saint Rose in 2011.
After practicing as a speech-language pathologist for several years, Dr. Forbes then attended Howard University where she received her Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders with a specialty in Swallowing Physiology.
She is now joining NIH from a postdoctoral fellowship at The University of Florida that focused on examining voice tremor in patients with neurodegenerative diseases who undergone Deep Brain Stimulation.
Dr. Lou is a Program Director in the Small Business Innovation Research Development Center at the National Cancer Institute. She manages SBIR & STTR awards, as well as actively engages in developing targeted solicitations, guiding small businesses to develop applications and facilitating interaction between awardees and potential investors and partners. Dr. Lou has over 15 years experience in research and product development for diagnosis and drug development. Prior to joining NCI she held a variety of scientific and management positions in pharmaceutical and biotech companies, including Johnson & Johnson, LumiCyte, Applied Biosystems (now part of Thermo Fisher Scientific corporation) and diaDexus. Dr. Lou received her PhD degree in Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology from University of Miami and completed her postdoctoral training at Stanford University.
Glenn is the Technical Services Director for CAI - Commissioning Agents Inc. He shares: "To everyone who aspires to better our quality of life, CAI is here to help you meet a higher standard. I welcome the opportunity to foster a truly, valued relationship and hear about your goals for promoting a better future.I help start-ups from concept... during clinicals regarding upscaling, regulatory submission, quality management system development… up to, including, and beyond market readiness. Let us help you reach your market, sooner.Already in the market? We steer our services based on your needs, such as operational excellence." Glenn's presentation will focus on the emerging company (defined as concept through market entry and slightly after). A challenging question to pose a founder is "what is your 100 day plan?" Once full funding is in place, Glenn has often seen a steady but heightened tempo - from crawl to run. Explore his experience, supporting data regarding business plan strategy, regulatory and compliance, and more at his presentation.
Heather fell in love with the Life Sciences industry during her time spent at the University of Tennessee studying Animal Science with a focus on Science and Technology. She was quickly drawn to the pharmaceutical and laboratory science aspect of the industry. However, after nearly a decade as Practice Director at a small animal veterinary hospital, she also understood the strain placed on businesses when it came to innovation and growth. She wanted to use her knowledge of the Life Sciences industry to help similar companies understand there are specialized tax incentives that help underwrite the cost of innovation and sustain growth. Now, as Head of Pharmaceutical and Software Development at Corporate Tax Advisors, she can educate business owners on ways to augment cash flow by leveraging tax incentives. Most CFO's, Controllers, CPAs and accountants have heard whispers and surface level information about Federal R&D tax credits. Unfortunately, only 1 out of 10 higher level C-suite positions know enough about the most lucrative tax incentive available to the Life Science industry to confidently pursue them. Join her as she debunks the 5 most misguided myths companies believe about the R&D credit that prevent them from further investigating the credit. If you've ever been hesitant to look deeper into this subject matter and/or simply feel leery about the incredible benefits you hear others speak about, this is the presentation for you! Join us in learning more about how Federal R&D tax credits will give your firm a competitive edge.
Jennifer Brown, Senior Director, Operational Logistics, joined Statistics & Data Corporation (SDC) in February 2010. Prior to joining SDC, Jen worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator and Site Operations Manager overseeing the operations of clinical trials and studies. At SDC, Jen has held roles of increasing responsibility within the organization, across Data Management, Business Development, Business Development Operations, Account Management, Project Management, Change Management, and now Operational Logistics.Jen led the initial implementation of SDC’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform and continues to lead initiatives for company growth to drive innovation, increase organizational efficiencies, and generate revenue. Jen develops and maintains a strong rapport and credibility with internal stakeholders, strategic partners, and clients. Jen holds a Bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology and a Masters in Business Administration.
Jennifer brings over 26 years of quality experience in various manufacturing and clinical trial industries to her current role as Sr. Director QA, Operational Compliance at Statistics & Data Corporation. Skilled in the creation, implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of QMS systems, her most recent function was as the QMS Director of an imaging CRO, where she gained a thorough knowledge of the oncology clinical trial industry.Previous to that experience, she was the site Quality Manager at an aerospace manufacturing facility. In that role, she was responsible for the release of product to Tier 1 suppliers General Electric and Honeywell Aerospace. Additionally, she was responsible for the facility moving to AS9100 Revision D certification, including full risk assessment process implementation across the company, as well as oversight of the company’s NADCAP certified inspection methods. Other accomplishments include the development and deployment of an ISO-9001 certified quality system for a previous aerospace manufacturing facility. Jennifer is currently implementing her third complete software implementation project to further promote clinical trial accessibility.Jennifer received a Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude, in Psychology from the University of Arizona and has held multiple lead auditor certifications across various certification organizations.
Ken is the head of IT Quality Engineering at Gilead and over 25 years of experience in the BioPharamaceutical Industry. He is a member of the FDA-Industry Computer Software Assurance team. As a member of ISPE, Ken is a co-lead for the CSA SIG, and has worked on the CSA Appendix in the GAMP GPG Data Integrity by Design, Critical Thinking chapter of the GAMP GPG Enabling Innovation, and GAMP 5 v2. He holds a BA in Molecular Cell Biology from UC Berkeley, and a MS in Computer Science from San Jose State University. He is a CISSP, CISA, CIPT, CTFL, CPRE, and PMP.
Kristy is an Associate, and the Senior Director of Business Development for CRB. In her fifteen years as a Business Development professional in the life sciences engineering and construction industry she has navigated many challenges, both in and outside of the workplace, with grit. Kristy’s innate ability to recognize and appreciate her clients as individuals, combined with her passion for business, makes her a problem solver and key business advisor.“My personal brand has always been built on a foundation of trust, sincerity and genuine relationship building.” Kristy’s depth of business development experience combined with her professionalism, tenaciousness and deep-rooted relationships in the market have helped her to be a key business partner to both her internal and external stakeholders.Kristy is a wife, a mother of two daughters (3 and 8) and a two-time ovarian cancer survivor. Please join her and her colleagues, Daniela Gracey and Melisa Vasquez, as they discuss “Finding Your Place at the Table”. A candid conversation about three women navigating their way in the Engineering and Construction Industry.
Laurie Burlingame is a a corporate partner in the nationally recognized Life Sciences Practice Group at Goodwin Procter LLP. Her introduction is as follows:"I represent private and public companies through their life cycle (from start-up through exit) across the spectrum of the life sciences industry, including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostics and biological materials. I also represent leading life science venture capital firms and investment advisors in connection with their portfolio company investments.I often serve as outside general counsel to my clients, closely advising management teams and boards of directors on a wide variety of matters, including formation and founder issues, venture capital financings, initial public offerings (including deSPAC transactions) and follow-on public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, licensing transactions, spin-out transactions strategic collaborations, commercial transactions, corporate governance and other general corporate matters. I enjoy engaging with entrepreneurs to hear more about their passions and in helping them to start their ventures off on a strong legal foundation.I have served as a mentor for many university start-up programs and have served as a judge for numerous business plan competitions, including the MIT 100K."
A highly experienced pharmaceutical and biotechnology executive with a background in Quality Assurance and Quality Control, Ms. Stefko began her career as a microbiologist. She has been in the compounding and pharmaceutical industry since 2008 and recently has moved into consulting for pharmaceutical manufacturers. Academically, Stefko holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology with a Minor in Chemistry from Florida State University, where she co-founded the Pre-Pharmacy Informational Leadership and Learning Society. She also earned a Master’s in Business Administration, Master’s of Science in Biotechnology, and a Certificate in Regulatory Affairs from the University of Maryland Global Campus. An active member of the American Society for Quality, Stefko is a Certified Quality Auditor, Certified GMP Professional, and Audit Chair for her local ASQ Chapter. In addition, she is a member of the Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding, serving on the Regulatory Committee, and a member of Regulatory Affairs Professional Society.
Marissa Fayer is a 22-year medtech executive, innovator, entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist. She is the CEO and founder of social enterprise / non-profit HERhealthEQ, CEO of DeepLook Medical, VP of Operations at Ultrasound AI, and US Partner at Goddess Gaia Ventures. Her mission is to move innovation and the health of women forward throughout the world. Marissa has previously served as an executive at Hologic, Olympus (formerly ACMI), Maquet-Getting (formerly Atrium Medical), Providien Medical, and Accumed Innovative Technologies. Her consulting clients include many of the Top 500 healthcare companies and innovative start-ups including Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Nuvasive, the National Institute of Health (NIH), Oerlikon Medical, Lonza Precision Medical, Emit Imaging, and others.Marissa sits on the board of medtech companies Welwaze Medical and DeepLook both focused on improving the diagnosis of breast cancer; Ultrasound AI focused on predicting Preterm birth, and PMD Medical focused on urinary incontinence; Marissa graduated from Boston University with a BS in Manufacturing Engineering and from University of Connecticut with an MBA. Marissa is a TEDx Speaker (2019 at TEDxLugano), a UCSC Miller Center Social Entrepreneur Fellow, and has been listed as one of the Top 100 Women in Medtech in 2018, a Top Woman Activist to Watch, awarded the 2018/9 Africa Development Award, a Wonder Women in Medtech, and has delivered keynote discussions at the World Alliance Forum, MedExec Women, Lithuanian Biotechnology Association, Leading Entrepreneurs of the World, Women’s Health Innovation Summit, DeviceTalks, HER.Talks, and others.Marissa has appeared in several online and print publications such as Medical Design & Outsourcing, BloombergLaw, FemTech Analytics, the Maven Collective, Med Device Online, and TheStreet.com. Marissa leads the #wealththroughhealth and #healthequityforwomen movements and is dedicated to innovative solutions for global operations and improving women’s health throughout the world. Marissa lives in New York City and can be found at www.marissafayer.com.
Melisa has nearly 30 years of experience in construction administration and project management in both Trade Partner and CM arenas with projects ranging from thousands to half a billion dollars. In her current role as Project Director at CRB, she enjoys touching every part of large, complex projects and leading high-functioning teams to success.Having earned her CM-Lean certification in 2018, she is passionate about lean design and construction and enjoys mentoring and leading teams in implementation of lean practices. Melisa has been known to be mistaken for a Safety Manager on her projects due to her involvement in the field and heavy interaction with the trades.She maintains the BSCP STS-C certification and is always looking for ways to keep folks safe.
Arti is a Board Director and former Fortune 5 executive. She created over $1B of value in organizations ranging from startups to Fortune 5 and led $200B of M&A activities. She guides growth oriented companies to optimize revenue, maximize the value of mergers and acquisitions and manage risk. She helps companies build scale by reimagining critical business operations resulting in revenue lift and accelerating time to market. Arti advises Boards and CEOs on managing supply chain issues, reducing excess inventory and driving down costs. She provides guidance on optimizing integrations and streamlining operations to achieve sustainable value creation after multiple acquisitions or mergers.Arti guides companies to identify, evaluate and manage risks across highly regulated industries. Arti has extensive experience the across Health Care value chain including biotech, pharma, contract research organizations, medical device companies, health care systems, retail pharmacy and health insurers. Arti held executive positions at CVS Health and Charles River Laboratories; and provided guidance to Oracle Health Sciences, Biogen, IQVIA, Mass General Brigham, Atrius Health, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan.Arti holds a BA in Economics from Tufts University, an MBA from Boston University and completed the Harvard Business School’s Corporate Governance program.
Renée is currently President & CEO, Arnold Consultancy & Technology, LLC, where she oversees outcomes research and develops affiliated software for pharmaceutical and government programs. Her special interest in evidence-based health derives from her research that deals with use of technology to collect and/or model real-world data for use in rational decision-making by healthcare practitioners and policy makers.Renée also Adjunct Professor, Master of Public Health program, Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, where she has developed and teaches the pharmacoeconomics coursework.Renée completed her undergraduate training at the University of Maryland and received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She also completed a post-doctoral residency at University Hospital in San Diego/University of California at San Francisco School of Pharmacy.
Nancy Kamei is a program director in the National Cancer Institute’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Development Center, where she oversees a portfolio of companies focused on cancer therapeutics.Nancy is a serial entrepreneur having served on the start-up teams of four Silicon Valley biotechnology start-up companies (Onyx Pharmaceuticals) and has more than 20 years of experience as an investor, having selected and managed portfolios of both public equities (Capital Group Companies) and venture capital (Intel Capital). For several years prior to joining the government, she served as a national instructor for the I-CorpsTM Program, interacting with National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation grantees. She joined the NSF in 2017 as a Program Director where she served on the start-up team of the Convergence Accelerator and worked in the SBIR and I-CorpsTM Programs.After receiving her doctorate in pharmacy from the University of California, San Francisco, she started her career at Merck and then completed her master's degree in business administration at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. Nancy also has over 40 years of service in the non-profit sector.
Rich Sheridan, CEO and Chief Storyteller at Menlo Innovations, is a successful entrepreneur and author of two best-selling books—Joy Inc.: How We Built a Workplace People Love and Chief Joy Officer: How Great Leaders Elevate Human Energy and Eliminate Fear. Rich’s passion for inspiring organizations to create their own joy-filled cultures has led him to address audiences across the world—through four continents and 18 countries (and counting) as well as throughout the United States.What motivates Rich to speak to tens of thousands of people around the world in nearly every setting imaginable? What does he share with his audiences that makes them jump to their feet with enthusiasm and return to their organizations on fire with inspiration? Simply this: joy. More specifically, that joy in your organization is not just possible but essential—essential to profitability, to productivity, to every measure of success. Rich doesn’t just talk about joy in the workplace. He lives it every day at Menlo, the custom software and consulting company he co-founded in 2001 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.Since then, Menlo has received worldwide notice for its unique culture, including recognition by Inc. Magazine as the most joyful company in America. Menlo has also been recognized by the Alfred P. Sloan award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility for 11 straight years and has received a lifetime achievement award for Freedom at Work from WorldBlu, as well as five revenue awards from Inc. magazine. Today people come to Menlo from all over the world—nearly 20,000 in the past seven years alone—to learn about Menlo and how they can create a culture of joy in their own organizations.
With over 25 years of experience, Rosemarie Truman is an entrepreneur, startup catalyst, impact investor and formerly, a corporate executive. Rosemarie is the Founder and CEO of The Center for Advancing Innovation Inc (CAI), also known as the “Tinder for Startups” by Nature; a “Powerful Innovation Toolkit” by the White House and “Shark Tank on Steroids” by BIO. CAI is an award-winning 501c3 non-profit with a mission to identify breakthrough SDG and ESG-oriented inventions and maximize their commercial potential.She is also the CEO and Co-Founder of Ignite Social Impact, the first crowd-equity platform for social impact investing in “tech for good.” Rosemarie’s specialty is investment strategy, having led growth and transformation strategies for 50 of the global Fortune 100 companies in over 15 countries, yielding more than $300 billion in near-term top line revenue improvement.As CAI’s leader, Rosemarie pioneered a first-of-a-kind, award-winning, disruptive innovation platform. Orchestrating 9 innovative challenge-accelerator models CAI has been the catalyst for the launch of 300+ companies, 3000+ entrepreneurs, and 120+ partnerships across federal labs, universities and hospitals. CAI has received several awards for example, the Health and Human Services Secretary’s Pick Innovation Award. In addition, CAI has had nine Obama White House mentions such as #6 of top 10 of things that happened during the administration in innovation.Prior to launching her own firm, Rosemarie spearheaded IBM’s Innovation strategy practice globally and was awarded IBM’s most laudable honor, the Golden Circle Award. In addition, she has also held leadership roles at Booz Allen Hamilton, Oracle, PRTM, and Marsh & McLennan, where she served as VP of global strategy. At Oracle, Rosemarie designed and led the implementation of the first cloud-computing platform globally. Rosemarie began her career at Goldman Sachs in investment banking, establishing a breakthrough straight through processing platform for the NYSE floor.
Sarita is a Vice President on Edgewater’s investment team and focuses on all of the firm’s target industry verticals, including life sciences. She is responsible for identifying and developing key investment themes for new investment opportunities, transaction execution, and supporting the management teams of Edgewater’s portfolio through the development of strategic growth initiatives.She is part of the team that invested in Haematologic Technologies, LLC, in 2019. Haematologic Technologies is a large molecule CRO with world class protein chemistry expertise and provides integrated large molecule analytical services and customized products that support the biopharma R&D process.Prior to Edgewater, Sarita's career has spanned several industries, including middle-market lending, investment banking and public accounting in both the Northeast and Midwest regions.
Stephanie received her B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2012 from Florida Southern College. She received her M.S. in Medical Sciences (2015) and her Ph.D. in Molecular Pharmacology (2016) from the University of South Florida. Stephanie was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Kentucky in the Department of Neurology.In addition to her postdoctoral appointment, she also interned part-time with the UK Office of Technology Commercialization from January to July 2019. Before joining the Innovation Office, Stephanie was selected for the 2019-2020 Executive Branch AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellows Program, where she served as a Program Manager in the National Institute on Aging Office of Small Business Research.
Blue Marble is a team of experienced clinical researchers, software designers, and software platform developers who have created a remote therapeutic monitoring and analytics platform for chronic disease and wellness. Blue Marble's suite of products includes evidence-based digital assessments, education and exercises upper and lower extremity strengthening, balance, coordination and aerobic/cardio exercises.Patients, clients, and research participants or volunteers can access these gamified Blue Marble products through downloadable apps at home, at outpatient clinics, and/or inpatient rehab programs or community-based organizations. Administrators, clinicians and researchers access the Blue Marble web-app portal to design and assign health & wellness and rehabilitative programs with specific assessments exercises and educational lessons personalized to each client. They also use the portal's built-in dashboard and reports to monitor the health and progress of their panel.Additionally, administrators can easily setup which users have access to the various products' content, panel management capabilities, and reports.https://bluemarblehealthco.com/
Stephanie Marquardt is founder and CEO of Continuous Synergy LLC, a consulting firm that helps business owners grow their companies by expanding into the federal government market and streamline operations. Among its services, Continuous Synergy provides expertise in fractional chief operating officer (COO) /EOS Integrator support, project-focused operational support, such as process improvement, and helping businesses learn how to win federal government contracts. Stephanie has more than 10 years of experience as the COO for a prime defense contractor.She co-founded and was executive director for the Florida 8(a) Alliance, a nonprofit organization that provides training to small businesses interested in federal contracting. In this role she helped hundreds of small businesses establish and grow their federal contracting imprint, especially in the competitive defense industry.Stephanie is certified as a Lean Six Sigma process improvement practitioner. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Dickinson College, a master’s from Johns Hopkins University and an executive leadership certificate from Cornell University.
Jaan Biotherapeutics, LLC is a private company that is developing novel therapies to activate the cardiac regeneration process in diseased hearts using proprietary technology. The technology manipulates microRNAs to activate an endogenous cardiac muscle regeneration process which has been shut down in the adult human heart during evolution.Our current focus is Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD), but the therapy can be applied to many cardiac diseases where cardiac muscle regeneration is required, such as cardiomyopathy associated with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). We are also developing a therapeutic for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).http://jaanbio.com/
Tiffany has spent over 20 years bringing innovative medical technology from benchtop to bedside and is known globally for her thought leadership on innovation and commercialization of technology in medical devices and healthcare technology. In October 2020, she joined the Philadelphia-based University City Science Center as President and CEO. The Science Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with mission to power progress that advances healthcare innovation, uplifts communities and improves lives.By convening and supporting Greater Philadelphia's innovation ecosystem, the Science Center helps catalyze new ideas and technologies, drive economic growth, and unlock the region’s potential for a world-class future. Tiffany joined the Science Center from the Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI) based in Atlanta where she was CEO.After a decade working in strategy, finance and business development in early-stage medical device companies, she was brought onboard to launch and operationalize GCMI from inception. During her tenure, she catalyzed a capital efficient approach to move innovation to products that impact patient outcomes, bringing critical assets, infrastructure, and expertise needed to support entrepreneurs from concept through testing, regulatory submission and launch. Her work in building and strengthening the medical device ecosystem in Atlanta and the Southeast US was formally recognized by both Georgia Bio and Southeast Life Sciences. Tiffany serves on the Team Pennsylvania Board of Directors, the Penn Health-Tech Strategic Advisory Board, the Drexel Applied Innovation External Advisory Board, and as an external advisor to the RADx program at the NIH.Tiffany served on the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE) of the U.S. Department of Commerce from 2014- 2018. She was recognized by Philadelphia Business Journal in the Power 100 List in 2021 and 2022, by the Healthcare Technology Report’s Top 50 Healthcare Technology CEOs of 2021, Inc. Magazine as one of “17 Inspiring Women to Watch in 2017” and one of Becker Hospital Reviews “110 Women in Medtech to Know in 2017”. Tiffany holds an MBA from the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business and a BBA in International Business from Loyola University New Orleans.
Tina Parker is a seasoned coach and founder of Lead Outside the Lines, a coaching company guiding visionary executives and entrepreneurs to become Courageously Authentic Leaders who take action on their greatest ideas, ignite the hearts and minds of those they serve, and intentionally create a ripple effect of value.With 20+ years as a leader and trusted executive advisor across private, public and non-profit sectors, Tina currently serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, as the Chief Customer Officer for the Department of Defense’s DevSecOps team, Platform One, and as the Chief Marketing Officer of the acclaimed non-profit, The Mentor Project.With a graduate degree in Leadership and Management, and certifications in Design Thinking, Executive Management, Transformational Mindset, Neuroencoding, and John Maxwell’s Leadership Coaching, she is passionate about personal and professional growth that leads to results. Tina is a changemaker in communication, leadership, and marketing.She has designed and executed communication and leadership initiatives for the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy and the Department of Homeland Security. Her influence was instrumental in the Air Force’s innovation catalyst, AFWERX, being named Fast Company’s #16 Best Workplaces for Innovators in 2020, a first for a government organization. Her coaching and training portfolio includes C-Suite Executives, Venture Capitalists, and Executive Boards.
Yasamin serves as the Scientific Program Specialist at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Prior to joining the Innovation Office, Yasamin served has a Health Specialist at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, Center for Clinical Research. In this capacity, she collaborated with Project Scientists and Program Officers to support the management and programmatic evaluations of funded grants and other trans-NIH research activities.Her leadership experience includes International and Global Health/Regulations, healthcare systems / operations, special project management and regulatory guidance. Yasamin previously held the role of Scientific Program Analyst at the National Institute of Mental Health and Program Specialist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.Yasamin received her B.A. in Health Care Administration and Public Policy with a concentration in Global and Public Health from the University of Maryland – Baltimore County and an M.S. in Health Care Administration from the University of Maryland.
Tissa Richards has a mission to create a legion of leaders with an unshakable sense of self. She is a keynote speaker, leadership expert and corporate facilitator who works with F1000 and hyperscale organizations, guiding them to create blueprints for individual and organizational success, develop high-performance cultures, and to diversify c-suites and corporate boardrooms.As a repeat software founder and CEO, Tissa sits at the intersection of entrepreneurship, fundraising and executive leadership. She has raised millions of dollars for her companies, won awards for innovation and products, and holds multiple patents for complex cybersecurity software.Her book, "No Permission Needed: Unlock Your Leadership Potential and Eliminate Self-Doubt" is available in September on Amazon and Audible. Learn more at www.tissarichards.com
Ms. Flégeau began working in regulatory affairs while living in Paris, France. She has spent over 20 years in the medical device field working in diverse international companies both small and large, focusing on a variety of medical devices such as cardiac, orthopedics, catheters, active implantable devices…etc. She is an expert in CE marking, FDA submissions and international registrations. Her expertise includes regulatory strategies, submissions, technical files and creative problem solving.
Ms. Flégeau has worked directly with regulatory agencies in Canada, EU, China, Japan, Korea, France, and Brazil.
Ms. Flégeau holds a BA in International Business from Illinois Wesleyan University, and a Leadership Certificate from Kellogg School of Management. She is fluent in French.
Ms. Flégeau oversees the Florida chapter of the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society (RAPS). She currently is Associate Director of Regulatory Affairs at Johnson and Johnson – Sterilmed division.
With each year, the impact grows. Our attendees don’t just attend — they elevate. Whether you’re seeking visibility, funding, community, or mentorship, the Life Science Women’s Conference is where momentum begins.
Based on Past Conferences
By attending, exhibiting, sponsoring, or speaking, you will be supporting women in life science.