By Jed Weiner
iBIO News Contributor
White Oak Communications

Twenty-first century leaders recognize that diversity of thought results in better business outcomes. In a perfect world, that fact would lead to more diversity in c-suites and board rooms. Unfortunately, unconscious and conscious biases are deeply engrained. The Women in BIO – Chicago 3.8 Initiative (named after International Women’s Day, March 8) is designed to contribute to greater equity and better business outcomes by diversifying startup board rooms.

The 3.8 Initiative enables mid-career women to access the opportunities and benefits that startup board service can lend, while also combatting the perception that qualified women do not exist for those roles. According to Maryam Saleh, 3.8 Initiative co-founder and executive director of the Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship, “This program was built to improve gender diversity at the leadership level for all companies, but more intentionally to connect and bring more women’s perspectives to the startup community. We launched in Chicago where few women currently occupy seats on local healthcare startup boards – our goal is to build a hands-on approach to diversifying the startup board composition.”

During last year’s inaugural, 10-month program, the 3.8 Initiative prepared 10 women for startup board service, built bridges between the talented mid-career women and startups looking for advisors or independent board members, and created a safe space for the first cohort to connect and build their networks. “We are providing one-on-one mentorship, executive coaching, startup board resume consultations and exposure to our strong network of innovation executives, supporters, startups, accelerators, incubators and industry leaders,” said 3.8 Initiative Co-founder Dimitra Georganopoulou.

Personal Perspectives from the Cohort 

Earlier this month, iBIO interviewed three members of the 2020 cohort to obtain participants’ views of the 3.8 Initiative. Below are some of their observations, edited for space considerations.

What motivated you to join the first 3.8 Initiative cohort?

Tina Esposito, Chief Health Information Officer, Advocate Aurora Health:The ability to talk with and learn from true subject matter experts was an incredible opportunity. I recognized and appreciated that the program was designed to do something meaningful around gender gaps and other diversity issues. I couldn’t walk away from that.

Beata Dowling, VP Financial Planning and Analysis, Horizon Therapeutics: As a business leader, you’ll never know everything. I’ve always been a proponent of my own development, always curious to learn and grow. I have encouraged my teams to include learning and development to further their knowledge and experience.  For me, this has allowed me to take on new roles and expand into new areas.

Lilli Zakarija, President & CEO, EdgeOne Medical: I had already spent a lot of time mentoring startups on strategy and product development, so learning how to prepare to be on a board would enable me to contribute to a startup in a more meaningful and sustained way.

What aspects of the 3.8 Initiative did you find to be the most gratifying or enlightening? 

Ms. Zakarija: The program highlighted the importance of finding a personal passion and connecting an opportunity to serve on a board with that passion. Passion is critical to a successful tenure on a board. Getting to know a group of very accomplished businesswomen in the Chicago area was also quite gratifying.

Ms. Dowling: We had the opportunity to hear directly from functional experts, such as attorneys, scientists and CEOs. They all gave honest and transparent guidance, as well as sharing their career progression and experiences as a board member. In addition, this has been a great experience to meet fantastic female leaders who are pursuing this new opportunity.

Ms. Esposito: I learned about areas that I didn’t have experience with, so to get time with experts in these topics was wonderful, as was the ability to talk through the lessons with my cohort peers and to learn from each other.

What would you say to someone who is considering apply for the 2021 cohort?

Ms. Dowling: It’s a great program. You need to want to do it, make time for it  and be committed to it. If being on a startup board is important to you, this is a way to explore it in a very professional matter. 

Ms. Zakarija: If you feel you’ve come to a point in your career where you’ve mastered functional areas and you want to share your expertise for a higher purpose, this program is for you. If you want another opportunity to challenge yourself, to expand network, and to contribute by sitting on a startup board, submit your application.

Ms. Esposito: You’d want to be at point in your career to appreciate where board members can be effective by providing strategic counsel and oversight, rather than tactical recommendations. Make sure you have the time to invest so you can learn. If you’re ready, do it, don’t wait!

At the conclusion of her interview, Tina expressed deep appreciation for the 3.8 Initiative co-founders addressing the diversity gap on startup boards. She felt humbled by their investing their personal time to create a program for the betterment of others.

iBIO shares Tina’s gratitude and embraces the vision articulated by 3.8 Co-founder Holly Copeland, Horizon’s senior director of Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability & Impact: “Our hope is that in five or 10 years, we can all look back at this time with a lot of pride, knowing that programs like 3.8 helped to drive systemic change; that the presence of more women in board rooms has led to better business decisions, more economic empowerment, and a shifting perception across communities of how and where women can show up and express agency.”

For more information about the program and to apply for the 2021 cohort before the January 25th deadline, visit https://www.womeninbio.org/page/chicago38.

CHICAGO and EDWARDSVILLE, IL, October 14, 2020 – iBIO EDUCATE, dedicated to inspiring the next generation of innovators and helping restore America’s leadership in technology education, and Goshen Education Consulting, a prominent STEM educational evaluation and research center, today announced that they have received a $2.7million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to design and implement novel educational experiences for up to 3,750 children in military families. Starting in 2021 and continuing for three years, the grant will enable summer camps that will be known as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics for Kids ofActive Military Personnel (STEMKAMP).

As the largest employer of scientists and engineers in the world, the Defense Department recognizes the importance of inspiring students to become STEM professionals. iBIO and Goshen Education Consulting have created the new program for third to eighth graders based on published research data showing that students who express an early interest (by eighth grade) in pursuing a STEM career are two to three times more likely to graduate with a STEM college degree.*

“Over the next decade, it is projected that 80% of jobs will require STEM skills, which makes programs like STEMKAMP all the more important,” said Rep. Mike Bost (IL-12). “I was proud to support iBIO and Goshen Education’s grant application earlier this year, and I am thrilled that they have received this funding.” Former marine Bost wrote a letter of support for the grant application. His district in southern Illinois includes Scott Air Force Base and Mascoutah school district, one of the districts that will be served through the program.

STEMKAMP will partner with 10 military-connected school districts across the United States to implement the five-day summer camps, helping young students connect critical thinking and problem-solving skills to a wide variety of STEM careers through hands-on experiences with STEM concepts and access to STEM professionals. As a result, students will develop basic laboratory skills, practice higher-order thinking skills, and gain the self-confidence and motivation to consider continuing on a path toward a STEM career.

Children of military service personnel often experience stress related to the many unknowns involved in their parents’ occupations. This includes changing school districts often, which can make it difficult to adjust to new schools with differing curriculum, instructional methods, cultural norms and climate. STEMKAMP will fill a large need by providing access to local STEM summer camps designed specifically for children in military families.

STEMKAMP is modeled after iBIO’s highly successful, nationally recognized, hands-on STEMgirls camps and, due to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, its 2020 virtual STEMfamily camp. Made possible by strong financial support from Illinois life sciences companies – Abbott, Astellas, Horizon and Lundbeck – the iBIO camps have served more than 560 third to eighth grade girls during the summers of 2016 – 2019. More than 500 kids from 27 states participated in the June 2020 virtual STEMfamily camp.

“To receive this grant, we needed to demonstrate that STEMKAMP will be sustained at each site beyond the initial three-year program,” explained iBIO Senior Vice President Ann Vogel. “We are thrilled to build on the success of our programs and bring these STEM camps to military families. We look forward to creating and coordinating a network composed of local school districts, their respective state’s BIO affiliates and other local community partners to build a strong STEM talent pipeline.”

The Department of Defense also asked iBIO and Goshen to explain how they would modify their implementation plan if COVID-19 or another pandemic required a distance-learning approach. iBIO’s 2020 STEMfamily Camp’s successes convinced the grant reviewers that STEMKAMP could adapt, if needed. Pre- and post-camp survey showed positive changes in the camps’ participants and an increased desire to pursue a STEM career.

“As the formal evaluator of the camps since their inception, my company has validated quantifiable metrics that demonstrate meaningful results by the young students,” said Matt Feldmann, Ph.D., principal researcher and owner, Goshen Education Consulting. “And as the father of two daughters who have flourished in the STEMgirls and STEMfamily camps, I saw the positive impact on my children and in my family. It is a privilege to be able to bring STEMKAMP to children in military families nationwide. I am confident  that they will benefit greatly through the hands-on approach to learning.”

Click here to see how iBIO’s 2020 STEMfamily Camp made a difference in the lives of Illinois families.

About iBIO
The Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization (iBIO) is a life sciences industry association that represents the nearly 88,000 life sciences employees at member companies, universities, service providers and venture firms. iBIO promotes the industry’s value to the public and policymakers; connects innovators to investment and talent; stimulates collaboration and fosters the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs to transform patient lives through groundbreaking research and works to grow the Illinois economy.

iBIO EDUCATE delivers industry-led STEM programs for teachers and students, thereby inspiring the next generation of innovators and helping restore America’s leadership in technology education. To learn more about iBIO and its programs, visit www.ibio.org

About Goshen Education Consulting
Goshen Education Consulting is a STEM educational evaluation and research center located in Edwardsville, IL. Since its founding in 2009, Goshen Education Consulting has conducted more than 60 educational evaluation and research projects. Goshen Education Consulting Inc. specializes in educational data interpretation (evaluation, research and analysis) for educational organizations in Illinois. Beyond program implementation, consulting services range from external program evaluation and ad hoc report writing to dashboard development and at-risk student identification.

Media Contacts

Monique Naleway
Operations Manager
iBIO
(312) 561-3895
mnaleway@ibio.org

Matt Feldmann, Ph.D.
Principal Researcher and Owner
Goshen Education Consulting, Inc.
(618) 751-2807
matt@gosheneducationconsulting.com

iBIO is excited to release our 2019 State of the Industry Report, titled Meeting the Future Needs of a Changing Community. 

This report provides an overview of the life sciences innovation community, benchmarks our recent growth, identifies key trends shaping the community and provides recommendations to ensure the continued growth of the Illinois Life Science Industry.

By several metrics, the Illinois life sciences industry is large, growing and recognized as a national leader. More than 41,000 people are employed at life science companies statewide and increases in the number of life sciences workers at Illinois companies from 2014 – 2016 (latest statistics available) have outperformed national averages.

Second, the annual economic output of the life sciences industry in Illinois was $98 billion in 2016. Annual pay for the life sciences community was $129,866 in 2016, and with strong wage growth in all segments, the life sciences industry remains a major contributor to state and local taxes.

Third, the life sciences innovation ecosystem in Illinois has grown significantly over the past couple years. Our state’s companies reported over $14 billion in R&D expenditures in 2017, and our research-based universities have increased R&D investment and secured numerous NIH grants and awards. Recent key indicators of startup activity have also shown an upward trend, including patent products and venture capital (VC) investment.

Despite these positive developments, continued growth in the Illinois life sciences community is not guaranteed. Recent major acquisitions of Illinois companies reduced the number of large companies and related employment in the state. Meanwhile, an increase in commercialization activities at Illinois universities and the growth in the number of smaller R&D-stage companies will drive the future expansion of the Illinois life sciences industry.

To support the future growth of our community, state and local governments will need to realign policy and community resources to support a startup- and growth-oriented ecosystem.

Read the 2019 iBIO State of the Industry: Meeting the Future Needs of a Changing Community.