Women & Career Trajectories – Finding Balance With Life and Professional Journeys – Hosted by WIB

Women are often expected to do it all: career, family, and volunteer in their community while facing systemic barriers to entry for higher salaries or leadership roles. How do you handle all of these demands? Join us for this important discussion during Women’s History Month with past Women In Bio Presidents and Board Members on how they balanced career trajectories, volunteering, and life goals.

Opening Remarks

Tracy Staller, Vice President and Business Banking Relationship Manager at PNC Bank

As a Vice President and Business Banking Relationship Manager at PNC, Tracy works with small business clients with annual revenues over $1 million and specialty groups such as healthcare, food, and beverage. Tracy works closely with nonprofit organizations and is a community development liaison. She’s passionate about helping her clients proactively mitigate fraud, gain access to credit to scale and grow, find solutions to maximize cash flow, and improve operational efficiencies. With over 19 years of banking experience, Tracy brings a wealth of knowledge, tailored solutions, and resources to her clients. Tracy’s journey has been marked by diverse experiences, from personal growth and building strong connections with family and pursuing ambitious professional goals. She believes in the power of setting and achieving meaningful objectives and is dedicated to making a positive impact in every aspect of life. Supporting women in business has been a crucial and personal passion for Tracy, fostering diversity and being a part of helping to close the economic gender gap. Tracy is a PNC-Certified Women’s Business Advocate, works with Pittsburgh Women Presidents Organization Chapters, and is PNC’s liaison for Women In Bio and the Center for Women Entrepreneurship at Chatham University. Tracy graduated from Carlow University, earning her dual Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Human Resource Management and Technology.

Speaker Bios

Azurii Collier, Director of Enterprise Innovation at AbbVie

Dr. Collier was the 2023 WIB-National President. She has been an active member of Women In Bio for six years. She earned her PhD in cognitive neuroscience from Northwestern University and a BS in neuroscience and behavioral biology from Emory University. She also completed management education from top business schools, including the Kellogg School of Management and the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. She is passionate about advancing the best of research science to get medicines and innovations to market faster. Her career began as an academic researcher at numerous research institutions. From there, she dedicated over a decade to advising biotech startups in therapeutics, medical devices, and digital health; and consulting global pharmaceutical companies in R&D strategy. Today, Collier uses her skills and experience as Director of Enterprise Innovation at AbbVie.

Aileen Fernandes, Chief Business Officer at Arcellx

Aileen Fernandes is Chief Business Officer for Arcellx, a biotechnology company reimagining cell therapy through the development of innovative immunotherapies. She is based in Redwood City, California, where she has led the company’s IPO and its partnership with Kite, a Gilead Company, to co-develop and co-commercialize the company’s late-stage clinical asset, anito-cel, for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Prior to joining Arcellx, Aileen held roles of increasing responsibility at Nevro and was a management consultant at Deloitte Consulting. She began her career at Morgan Stanley, where she was a finance analyst. Aileen holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a BA in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Gina Ford, Executive Director of Women In Bio, Moderator

Gina Ford is a highly experienced professional with 20 years of expertise in the life sciences, biotech, and pharmaceutical industries. Throughout her career, she has held leadership roles in Corporate Strategy, Commercial, Portfolio Management, Business Development, and Patient Advocacy. As the principal of One Joule, LLC, a corporate strategy consulting firm she founded, Gina provides strategic advice to life science clients on various aspects of their business, including company formation, corporate strategy, fundraising, dealmaking, and US commercial and globalization strategies. In her recent Executive and C-suite roles at OncoSynergy, NephroSant, and Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, Gina was responsible for Corporate Strategy, Corporate Development, and Commercial Planning, where she helped drive growth and development for these companies. Gina is a Doctor of Pharmacy with an MBA. She is an accomplished start-up and growth phase expert, sought after for her successful fundraising experience at all levels. Early in her career, Gina was the executive director for the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacist. Her long-term focus on patient advocacy highlights her commitment to the life science industry’s core mission of improving patient outcomes through innovative therapies and treatments. Gina’s previous industry leadership roles include AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Ipsen Pharmaceuticals, Solstice Neurosciences, and Elan Pharmaceuticals.

Kristi Sarno

Kristi Sarno most recently served as the Vice President of Business Development and Corporate Strategy at Homology Medicines, where she led partnering discussions and provided strategic input for decisions that supported its mission to cure rare diseases. Kristi has 25 years of industry experience, including roles in business development, strategic alliance, program management, and research at companies including Pfenex Inc. (acquired by Ligand Pharmaceuticals), Latham Biopharm Group, and Crucell (acquired by J&J). She earned her Master of Liberal Arts in Biology at Harvard University and her BS in biology at Syracuse University. Kristi also served as the 2016 President of Women In Bio and was a member of the Board for five years. As President, WIB launched the Boardroom Ready program, which continues to succeed in seating women on corporate boards.

Kayla Valdes, Associate Director Medical Affairs Operations – Pipeline Lead at Kite Pharma

Kayla has been an active member of WIB since 2013 and has held numerous leadership positions in the organization, including WIB National President in 2021. She still serves on the WIB Board of Directors as the Chair of the Governance Committee. She currently works at Kite Pharma, a Gilead Company, as Associate Director of Program and Change Management within Global Medical Affairs, where she partners with cross-functional teams to build consensus, drive decision-making, and lead process improvement activities. Prior to joining the pharma industry, she held roles within the National Institutes of Health, developing and managing several federally funded external research programs, including the Somatic Cell Genome Editing and Cure Sickle Cell Disease Initiatives. Kayla received her PhD in molecular microbiology from the University of Maryland, College Park and her BS from Cornell University.

Katie Williams, PhD, Sr. Director of Business Development at Applied BioMath | Certara

Katie manages a sales team and key accounts at Applied BioMath, a math modeling services and software company recently acquired by Certara.  She was previously a systems pharmacology modeler at Applied BioMath as well as at Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Outside of work, Katie has been a longtime volunteer for Women In Bio, acting as Chair of the RTP Chapter, National Vice Chair of MAPS, 2022 WIB National President, and Chair of the BoD Development Committee. Lastly, Katie is the mother of two very busy littles (27 months and 8 months) and wife to a brilliant and supportive husband.