Chief Commercial Officer, BioCentriq

Clemson B.S. Biological Sciences,1995

What role do you play in the entrepreneurial ecosystem?

As Chief Commercial Officer at BioCentriq, a start-up cell therapy Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) spun out of an academic medical center, I lead the Sales, Marketing, and Business Development activities for services required for the translation, development, and manufacture of advanced therapies for use in clinical trials. My responsibilities also include, development and execution of corporate strategy, internal and external communications, customer relations, revenue forecasting and generation, market and competitive analysis, and ensuring commercial activities align with the strategic direction of the company and regulatory requirements for cell therapies. 

What are some of your best memories of your time at Clemson?

My best memories are those spent with friends. Homecoming was always a highlight, playing intramural basketball (my co-ed team won the championship one year!), activities with my sorority, Chi-Omega, and membership as a little sister for Alpha Tau Omega. I also have great memories of warm, sunny days relaxing and playing on Bowman field, going for runs around the loop listening to Nirvana, hanging out on Lake Hartwell, soaking in beautiful purple and orange sunsets, riding my mountain bike around campus to class, studying in the library, and of course, basketball and football games! 

What were the key inflection points in your career after you left Clemson?

There are three key inflection points in my career after I left Clemson. The first was my first job in New York City working for Abbott (AbbVie) where I was a member of the commercial launch team for HUMIRA. The second was 14 years later when we were expecting twins and I excitedly moved home to MD upon accepting an opportunity with start-up biotech, Human Genome Sciences (HGS). When HGS was acquired by GSK, I seized the opportunity to pursue a new career in CDMO, where I have spent the past 10 years in commercial roles of increasing responsibility. My intention for the change was to broaden my understanding around the innovative science and cutting-edge research and development of life-changing and potentially, life-saving advanced therapies for patients and families in desperate need of hope and a cure.

What are your personal and professional dreams?

Personally, my dreams are to grow old with my husband, Steve - the love of my life, watch our children grow up and find love and happiness, encourage and help them to identify and pursue their own dreams, and become grandparents. With the family, I would love to experience a safari, go whale watching, see an active volcano, and introduce the children to new food, music, and cultures. I have also dreamt about one day doing a Ted Talk about the importance of hope and gratitude even in the face of adversity, writing an autobiography about my 20-year journey with cancer, and helping make my husband’s dream of writing children’s books become a reality.

Professionally, my dream is to help find cures for cancer and ensure they are accessible and affordable for all. At 26, I lost my dad at age 53 to Stage 4 Melanoma; within a year, my nephew passed at age 9 from Ewing’s Sarcoma; and just 3 years later, two months before our wedding, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Thymoma, an ultra-rare thymus gland cancer. My younger sister is a cancer survivor and probably like most of you, I have lost friends, have friends fighting now, and know of countless stories of heartbreaking loss due to cancer. I am a 4-time, 20-year cancer survivor on a mission. One day, I want be CEO of a company developing and manufacturing commercially approved advanced therapies which prevent and/or cure cancer. 

What would you recommend students do to maximize their remaining time at Clemson?

I would encourage students to remember what you can get out of your remaining time is equal to what you put in. Be sure to prioritize YOU. Yes, your grades are important but not as important as your mental and physical health. If you put yourself first, your academics, your relationships, and your career will follow. Do not ever be afraid or embarrassed to ask for help of any kind and always remember, the best educator is adversity, and the only way is through.

Get involved early and enjoy the beautiful campus culture and all it has to offer. Go out of your way to meet people, talk to everyone, pick brains, dream big, and accept challenges both academic and personal. Explore the facilities, join clubs, play intramurals, attend games, and visit the surrounding areas (great hiking close by!) Make Clemson a home, not a pit-stop. Try something new every year, perhaps enroll in an elective outside of your comfort zone or visit a new city on a road trip.

If you aren’t sure what career path you will take, listen to your heart, and study what you find interesting and you will begin to craft a future in which you are fulfilled, rewarded and grateful for because you will enjoy what you are doing. Find a local cause you are passionate about and even if just monthly, volunteer. Lastly, seek out a mentor and be a mentee. You will grow as a person by both receiving and giving back. 

What else should we know about you?

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I am most proud of being a wife and mom to our three children, Hunter and Jackson, 17-year-old twins and our almost 9-year-old daughter, Sawyer. They are my every birthday wish, every prayer and dream come true. My favorite flower is a sunflower, my favorite color is green, I love to swim in the ocean and walk in the woods, I find peace journaling, and I love practicing yoga.

My favorite quotes are, “Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is being afraid and doing it anyway.” - Unknown and by our very own Coach Dabo Swinney, “Let the light that shines in you be brighter than the light that shines on you.”

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