KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Ann Lee-Karlon, PhD, is the CEO, President, and Board member of EpiBiologics. EpiBiologics is advancing antibody-based protein degrader therapeutics with a wide range of applications, including oncology, immunology, and neurological diseases. She previously served as COO of Altos Labs, where she was instrumental in building the foundation for rapid growth to 500 employees across 3 global sites. Prior to Altos, Ann spent over 18 years at Genentech, most recently as Senior Vice President. During her tenure at Genentech, she led portfolio strategy and operations and had project leadership oversight for over 80 drug development teams from research and development through FDA approval and global launch. She led major corporate partnerships and programs, including Ocrevus for multiple sclerosis and Rituxan in immunology. Before Genentech, Ann served in the new ventures group at Lilly. Ann holds a BS in bioengineering from UC Berkeley, MBA from Stanford University, and PhD in bioengineering from UC San Diego, where she was a National Science Foundation Fellow. Ann was the president and board chair of the Genentech Patient Foundation and president and board chair of the Association for Women in Science (AWIS), based in Washington, D.C. She is a board member of Eko Health and serves on the Dean’s advisory boards for UC Berkeley and UCSD schools of engineering. Ann was elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and is a Fellow of the Aspen Institute.
Judith Pool Award
Xi Zhao-Wilson, PhD, MBA
Dr. Xi Zhao-Wilson is Founding CEO and Director of BioMarker, Inc., also serving as the Chairwoman. Under her leadership, the company has launched a consumer genomic product and established research collaborations with prestigious institutions worldwide, including the Chinese Academy of Sciences and prominent universities in the US and abroad. Dr. Zhao-Wilson holds multiple US and foreign patents. Her extensive research output includes peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and reviews. She is an internationally recognized lecturer and speaker.
Dr. Zhao-Wilson boasts almost three decades of senior executive experience in the biotech and biomedical industry, including roles at Aviron (part of AstraZeneca) and as the founder and CEO of InCell Inc., specializing in stem cell research and applications.
While at Stanford University, Dr. Zhao-Wilson conducted research on gene regulation in cancer and steroid hormone receptor pathways. She is a Visiting Professor at the Chinese Academy of Preventative Medicine, and an adjunct Professor at Xi’An JiaoTong University, China.
Dr. Zhao-Wilson is a board director of Synopsys Science and Engineering Championship and a Chair of SRC, and co-founded the AWIS-Stanford University mentoring program. Since then she has been a mentor for graduate students, postdocs and medical students at Stanford and Berkeley/UCSF.
Dr. Zhao-Wilson received her PhD in Cellular Biology and Developmental Biology from The Ohio State University, an MBA from Fisher School of Business, and an Executive Management Program from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Dr. Zhao-Wilson is also an opera lover, golfer, amateur photographer, and a triathlete who has competed in multiple international triathlons.
Dr. Zhao-Wilson boasts almost three decades of senior executive experience in the biotech and biomedical industry, including roles at Aviron (part of AstraZeneca) and as the founder and CEO of InCell Inc., specializing in stem cell research and applications.
While at Stanford University, Dr. Zhao-Wilson conducted research on gene regulation in cancer and steroid hormone receptor pathways. She is a Visiting Professor at the Chinese Academy of Preventative Medicine, and an adjunct Professor at Xi’An JiaoTong University, China.
Dr. Zhao-Wilson is a board director of Synopsys Science and Engineering Championship and a Chair of SRC, and co-founded the AWIS-Stanford University mentoring program. Since then she has been a mentor for graduate students, postdocs and medical students at Stanford and Berkeley/UCSF.
Dr. Zhao-Wilson received her PhD in Cellular Biology and Developmental Biology from The Ohio State University, an MBA from Fisher School of Business, and an Executive Management Program from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Dr. Zhao-Wilson is also an opera lover, golfer, amateur photographer, and a triathlete who has competed in multiple international triathlons.
Ellen Weaver Award
Abbie Stack, MSc
Abbie Stack is currently the Genotyping Innovation and Technologies Lead at Bayer Crop Science in Chesterfield, MO. Abbie started her career at Bayer/Monsanto on the Discovery Pathology team in Woodland, CA after receiving her MS in Plant Pathology from UC Davis in 2016. She became known as a technical expert in molecular plant disease diagnostics, plant virology, and innovation strategy. She won the Vegetable R&D Newcomer award in 2019 and was inducted as a Bayer Science Fellow in the class of 2022. In October 2022, she took her current role and now works on scoping and implementing new technologies for Bayer’s industry-leading precision genomics pipeline.
Abbie was a member of the Sacramento chapter of AWIS from 2017-2022 and held several leadership roles within the chapter including Secretary, Webmaster, Mentorship Program Coordinator, and completed a two-year term as President. After relocating to St. Louis, MO in January 2023, Abbie worked to revitalize the St. Louis AWIS chapter which had been inactive for over five years. Abbie has also held several leadership roles within the American Phytopathological Society on the Early Career Professionals Committee, Annual Meeting Board, and as the speed mentoring session organizer. In her free time, Abbie enjoys hiking, paddle boarding, spending time with family, and cheering for her alma mater Purdue sports teams.
Abbie was a member of the Sacramento chapter of AWIS from 2017-2022 and held several leadership roles within the chapter including Secretary, Webmaster, Mentorship Program Coordinator, and completed a two-year term as President. After relocating to St. Louis, MO in January 2023, Abbie worked to revitalize the St. Louis AWIS chapter which had been inactive for over five years. Abbie has also held several leadership roles within the American Phytopathological Society on the Early Career Professionals Committee, Annual Meeting Board, and as the speed mentoring session organizer. In her free time, Abbie enjoys hiking, paddle boarding, spending time with family, and cheering for her alma mater Purdue sports teams.
Sherrie Wilkins Award
Abby Kennedy, PhD
Dr. Kennedy received her BS in chemistry from Allegheny College and a PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Arizona. She started her career in drug discovery and development as a medicinal chemist at Exelixis, Inc in 2001. After completing her Clinical Trials Design and Management Certification at San Francisco State University Extension, Abby moved downstream in the drug development process at Exelixis. As a Senior Clinical Trials Manager, she managed oncology trials supporting the successful filing of cabozantinib for the treatment of medullary thyroid cancer. In 2011, she moved to XOMA in Berkeley as a Sr. Manager of Clinical Operations where she built a high-functioning team of trial managers focused on bringing monoclonal antibodies to market. Abby joined Genentech, a member of the Roche family, in 2014 as a Sr. Clinical Program Manager of immunology programs within Genentech Research & Early Development (gRED). From there, Abby became Sr. Director of Clinical Operations at Principia Biopharma in 2018, where she led the late phase program for Principia’s lead molecule, rilzabrutinib. Abby joined CymaBay Therapeutics in 2021 as VP of Clinical Operations, leading a team focused on bringing seladelpar to market for patients with a rare liver disease, primary biliary cholangitis.
Over the past 20 years, Abby has been thrilled to volunteer and mentor for the American Chemical Society, AWIS, HBA, the Association for Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP), Oakland Girls’ Softball League and Oakland High Parent Teacher Organization. Abby lives in Oakland, CA and enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband, Rich, daughters Bronwyn and Mathilda, and her dogs, Hippo and Slushie.
Over the past 20 years, Abby has been thrilled to volunteer and mentor for the American Chemical Society, AWIS, HBA, the Association for Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP), Oakland Girls’ Softball League and Oakland High Parent Teacher Organization. Abby lives in Oakland, CA and enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband, Rich, daughters Bronwyn and Mathilda, and her dogs, Hippo and Slushie.
CHAPTER VOLUNTEER AWARDS
Sponsorship
Event photography - With Grace Photography
Event Music - Telegraph Quartet and Gala Favor Playlist
Dinner Raffle - Palio
Workshop Raffle - AWIS-NCC
Book Raffle - Susan Bernhard, Dilana Stoilova
Event Music - Telegraph Quartet and Gala Favor Playlist
Dinner Raffle - Palio
Workshop Raffle - AWIS-NCC
Book Raffle - Susan Bernhard, Dilana Stoilova