This interactive session features a lively panel of successful industry professionals who recently gained employability skills at community and technical colleges. Individuals share their pathways to rewarding careers in high-skill, high-wage positions in the biotechnology industry thanks to the access and affordability of targeted programs at community and technical colleges.

1. FACES OF SUCCESS
Moderator: Elaine Johnson, Bio-Link
Panelists: Ana Maria Ovalle
Solimar Santiago
Kelly Turner
Rob T. Taylor
Marlena Jackson

2. Biotech-careers.org
Photos Job Areas
Careers Flashcards Videos

3. Ana Maria Ovalle
June 18 2012

4. My Story
I am from Colombia
Bunker Hill Community College
A.S. In Biotechnology
Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company
Summer Internship
Cell Culture: Process Development Group

5. Summer Internship Description
Assist in experimental scale-up, transfer, and characterization of
mammalian cell culture processes to support new strain introduction and
process improvements
•Follow SOP, GMP, GLP
•Media and Reagent Preparation
•Aseptic Techniques
•Culture of Mammalian Cell Lines
•Collect, analyze data from bench-top bioreactors
•Participate in CMC Meetings
•Learn, Grow and Contribute

6. Solimar G. Santiago

7. Background
• Graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute
– B.S. in Chemical Engineering
• Graduated from Springfield Technical Community College
– A.S. in Biotechnology
• Worked with peptides for the past 6 years
– New England Peptide
– Aileron Therapeutics

8. Current Role
• Research Associate at Aileron Therapeutics
– Responsible for synthesis of stapled peptide therapeutics
– Participant of several multidisciplinary project teams
– Chance to develop drugs in various therapeutic areas such
as oncology and metabolic disorders
– Opportunity to meet Robert Grubbs, PhD

9. Kelly Turner

10. • 15 years textile manufacturing industry
• A.A.S. in Biotechnology from Pitt Community College
• Member of the Phi Theta Kappa International and Gamma
Beta Phi Honor Societies
• Currently pursuing the Bachelor of Science Degree with a
concentration in Bioprocess Manufacturing from East
Carolina University

11. Course Developer
• Research selected material for new course development
and/or revisions to current materials.
• Perform outreach to students, displaced workers, and the
community.
• Teach a Kid’s College on Biotechnology during the
Summer.
• Works closely with organizations such as the Girl Scouts
of America and the 4-H Youth Development Program to
stimulate interests in life sciences.

12. Rob T. Taylor, Ph.D.

13. Education
• First generation college graduate in family with 13 aunts &
uncles, and over 50 first cousins
• A.A. – General Education – Cosumnes River College,
Sacramento, CA
• B.S. – Biochemistry, UC Davis
Davis, CA
• Ph.D. – Molecular Toxicology, UCLA
Los Angeles, CA

14. Principal Scientist: Hoffman –LaRoche Inc.
• Head of Mechanistic Enzymology group within early
ADME (Non-Clinical Safety)
• Role is to plan, design, supervise, and interpret
experimental strategies or research programs that
support mechanistic analysis of small molecule drug
candidates
• Consult project teams on risk of clinical drug-drug
interactions via induction of drug-metabolizing
enzymes

15. Marlena Jackson
June 18, 2012

16. My Story…
 Interest in science/Genentech
 Mom diagnosed with breast cancer
 Wanted to make a difference/patients/give
back
 Influential people/instructors/mentors
• City College of San Francisco, Bridge to Biotech

17. My Current Position
Research Assistant The Future
 DNA Sequencing  Promote women in science
 Analysis by giving young girls from
ages 8 to 13, from under-
 Specialized projects represented communities
 Next Generation the opportunity to become
the next generation of
Sequencing platforms future leaders
 The dynamic intersection of
the Bridge to Biotech
program and the need for
change in my community
culminated in the creation
of

18. These Are My Students