A leader in the engineering design process, Laura-Ann is currently the Director of Life Sciences at Barry-Wehmiller Design Group and her enthusiasm for the industry grows with every project she oversees. “My role is to essentially marry business development with the technical side of project execution. I thrive in an intellectually stimulating environment and am motivated when I get to solve engineering design challenges on a daily basis.”
“As a process engineer at heart, I am constantly driven to ask the right questions to ensure each design is fully vetted. I like the fact that no single project is identical, things are always changing, and I get to work with many different clients to build world-class manufacturing facilities that improve the quality of human life and produce lifesaving therapies.”
“I had the honor of leading the process engineering design for Merck’s Keytruda pilot facility, which is a drug that has had a high success rate when coupled with chemotherapy to treat non-small cell lung cancer. To hear firsthand success stories from people with advanced-stage lung cancer that have been treated with Keytruda and have been able to have a second chance at life because of this drug, to be able to work with the very scientists that have been the drivers behind this lifesaving therapy, is an honor. As a cancer survivor, I know what it means to be given a second chance at life and I don’t ever take that for granted. To be a part of the effort that leads to a final drug product that can cure and save lives is something I’m so proud of.”
Laura-Ann extends her enthusiasm and energy to her volunteer work with ISPE. In addition to serving as co-chair of the Biotechnology Community of Practice (CoP) Steering Committee and being a member of the ISPE Biotechnology Conference International Program Committee, where she serves as an Education Track Leader, she is very involved with the Delaware Valley Chapter.
Since joining ISPE in 2015, she has served as the Chapter’s Executive Vice President, Treasurer, Membership, and Emerging Leader chair. “One of the biggest benefits that I get from being on the CoP steering committee, as a Delaware Valley Chapter board member, or on a conference committee, is that it’s an extension of my passion beyond the workplace. I get to tap into a global talent pool of like-minded and highly driven individuals who are just so intentional about improving the quality of human life.”
“I have met some really awesome individuals through the CoP and Delaware Valley Chapter, ones that I look forward to seeing at conferences, or locally, ones that I trust and know I want to work with. It’s an excellent community. You cannot build your network overnight. You build it over years of relationship building. That only comes through intentionally showing up at meetings or conferences—that’s how you get to know people. I’ve been very fortunate to meet some really wonderful individuals who I have become lifelong friends with.”
