Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY

Dr. Casey Doucette currently serves as Associate Director of Regulatory Affairs at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, where she is responsible for the development and execution of regulatory strategy for multiple programs in the Immunology and Inflammation therapeutic focus area. Prior to Regeneron, Casey was a Regulatory Affairs Manager at IDEXX Laboratories, where she managed regulatory submissions to the USDA and FDA in support of marketed veterinary diagnostic products. Early on in her career, Casey served as a Senior Account Executive at MacDougall Advisors, where she supported early-stage biotechnology companies in the development and execution of their corporate communications plans.

Casey received her B.S. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from the University of New Hampshire and Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Maine Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering. She completed her dissertation at the MaineHealth Institute for Research under the mentorship of Dr. Clifford Rosen.

Leiner Optics, Cape Elizabeth, ME

Dr. Leiner is the president of Leiner Optics, an engineering company that assists startups and Fortune 500 companies who are incorporating visualization into their medical devices. Dr. Leiner received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Optics from the University of Rochester and his Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut. He is the founder of Lighthouse Imaging Corporation, a leader in medical optics design and manufacture. He is listed as inventor or co-inventor on more than 20 patents and has published numerous papers in the areas of medical optics and optical instrumentation. Dr. Leiner is a Director of the Optics and Electro Optics Standards Council, the team representing the United States in international optics standards where he leads the U.S. technical group developing ISO endoscope standards.

The Baker Company, Sanford, ME

Mr. Eagleson, a Maine native, is President of The Baker Company, a manufacturer of equipment used in life sciences laboratories and clinical environments. Baker is the world’s leader in the design and manufacture of microbiological safety cabinets, laminar flow benches, and isolators. The company has also broadened their product range to include microbiological incubators, anaerobic chambers, and oxygen controlled workstations. Based in Sanford, Baker has locations in the UK and the Netherlands, and sells its products worldwide.

IDEXX, Westbrook, ME

Bethany Fortier is a Scientist in Research and Development at IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., headquartered in Westbrook, ME. IDEXX is a global leader in innovation, offering diagnostic products and services to customers in over 175 countries for the companion animal veterinary, livestock and poultry, water testing, and dairy markets. At IDEXX, Bethany works as part of an interdisciplinary discovery research team to support assay development from the R&D phase through the entire New Product Development process. Prior to entering industry, Bethany was a secondary science educator in Maine for 15 years and holds dual certification in both the life and physical sciences.

Bethany earned her B.S. in Biology from the University of Maine and her M.S. in Biology through a collaborative research-intensive program between MaineHealth Institute for Research (MHIR) and the University of Southern Maine, completing her thesis in the Center for Molecular Medicine at MHIR under the mentorship of Dr. Lucy Liaw.

Maine International Trade Center (MITC), Portland, ME

Zeynep currently works with the life sciences industry which includes biotechnology, medical devices, laboratory equipment, veterinary sciences, and diagnostics industries. She leads the StudyMaine initiative, assisting Maine educational institutions in recruiting international students. She has also worked with Maine’s wood products and pulp and paper industries and continues to assist companies in these sectors.  Prior to solely focusing on industry sectors, Zeynep also assisted with development and sponsorship relations at MITC.

For the past 16 years, Zeynep led the “Best of New England” collaborative partnership to MEDICA, the World’s largest medical trade show in Düsseldorf, Germany.  She has helped Maine companies participate in trade shows in Germany, UK, UAE, Vietnam, and China. Zeynep has traveled extensively in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

A native of Istanbul, Turkey, Zeynep earned a BS in Business Administration and Behavioral Science from the University of Maine at Machias and an MBA from the University of Maine, Orono. Prior to joining MITC in 2005, Zeynep worked in the banking industry, specifically in commercial lending and small business lending areas, and for the United Way of Greater Portland as a fundraiser.

Zeynep serves as the President of the Bioscience Association of Maine Board, President of Eastern Trade Council, Treasurer for NAFSA (Association of International Educators) , and the Advisory Board for UMaine Orono International Programs.  Formerly she served on the Board of Directors of the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland and the Board of Directors for the English as a Second Language Scholarship Fund.

Bernstein Shur, Portland, ME

Tony Perkins is a shareholder at Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson, a 125 attorney firm with offices in Portland and Augusta, Maine and Manchester, New Hampshire where he is a member of the firm’s Business Law Practice Group and a co-leader of the firm’s Intellectual Property and Technology Practice Group. Tony’s work includes day to day counseling and transactional assistance to start-up, growth and established businesses involved with intellectual property-based products and services in many different industries.

Tony currently serves as the legal mentor for the Roux Institute's Legal Fellow which assists the start-up and growth companies supported by the Institute. He is also the Chair Emeritus of the Board of the Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development and a member of the Board of the Bioscience Association of Maine. Tony is an active mentor and speaker for the MCED’s Top Gun business accelerator program and the Roux Institute's business incubation program.

Maine Medical Center Institute for Research (MHIR), Scarborough, ME

Dr. Breggia is the Director of the Center for Applied Science and Technology at MHIR, the Chair of the MaineHealth Precision Medicine Council, serves as a clinical coach for the MaineHealth Innovation Center, is a member of the ASCP Board of Certification for biorepository personnel and is an active member of the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories.

Dr. Breggia has over 30 years of experience in clinical laboratory diagnostics through her previous employment at the American Red Cross and at the Maine Medical Center solid organ transplant program. Dr. Breggia has conducted basic science research at MHIR in ischemic kidney injury, bone metabolism and disease and is currently collaborating on research investigating novel therapeutics for pancreatic cancer. Dr. Breggia is the principal investigator for the NIH/NCI Cancer Moonshot Biobank study being conducted at the NCORP/MaineHealth Cancer Care Network.

Dr. Breggia received her B.S. in Medical Technology from the University of New Hampshire, her M.S. in Applied Immunology at the University of Southern Maine and her PhD in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from the University of Maine, Orono. Dr. Breggia is board certified as a Medical Technologist by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP) and as a Histocompatibility Specialist by the American Board of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ABHI). Dr. Breggia has served as a member of the Adjunct Faculty at the University of Southern Maine and as an Associate Faculty Member in the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Maine, Orono.

Dr. Breggia joined the BioME Board of Directors in 2018.

SMRT Architects and Engineers, Portland, ME Fran Harrison is the Director of Business Strategy for SMRT Architects and Engineers, a full-service firm practicing nationwide in  Science/Technology/Manufacturing (STM), Healthcare, Justice, Government, Workplace, and Education (smrtinc.com). The firm’s STM practice specializes in designing and engineering controlled environments for research and manufacturing, including cleanrooms, dryrooms and laboratories. Previously, Fran led the communications, government relations and corporate philanthropy functions globally as a member of the CEO’s staff at Fairchild Semiconductor (now ON Semiconductor), beginning with its spinout as the industry’s first management led LBO, through eleven acquisitions, its IPO, and growth to the leading provider of power semiconductors worldwide. Fran is past-president and a board member of the Massachusetts Building Congress.

University of Maine, Orono, ME

Janet is the Technology Business Development Manager for the University of Maine, helping to commercialize important new discoveries from the University. This position follows a variety of management positions in life sciences-based companies. After beginning her professional career as a research scientist at IDEXX Labs, Janet served as the founding President of the Maine Technology Institute, overseeing more than $40 million in investments for R&D in Maine-based organizations. From there, she moved on to manage two pharmaceutical start-ups, a research products company and served a variety of marketing roles, most recently as Director of Marketing for the testing business at Lonza, one of the world’s largest healthcare manufacturing companies. Janet’s background includes a doctoral degree in biology from the University of North Carolina, and a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health.

PJ Fitzpatrick Executive Advisory Group, LLC, South Thomaston, ME

Paul has a very diverse entrepreneurial & executive leadership background in the medical device, healthcare, consulting & hospitality services arenas. He provides fractional C-level and board engagements along with advisory services to startups, early stage and small companies in the medical device, life sciences, biotech and healthcare services space. Paul has led teams which have taken innovated services and technology from ideation through to commercialization and exit. His experience includes 10+ start-ups, distressed turnarounds, roll-ups, integration of acquired companies, multi-site & international operations. Specific industry sectors include: EMS/ambulance advanced life support emergency medical services, physical therapy and rehabilitation services, international nurse recruiting & staffing, breast cancer risk screening, complex Point of Care molecular DX testing and endovascular catheter-based drug delivery medical devices. Ventures ranged from pre-revenue to $250M revenue, completing over $50 million of private and venture backed financings and completing over 20 M&A transactions with a combined value in excess of $100 million. Paul serves as a volunteer board member, was Chairman of Life Science Tennessee 2020 - 2022, provides pro bono mentorship to startups and early stage companies independently and through the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs Mentor Network, Geogia Bio Mentor Network and the Roux Institute at Northeastern University McCarthy's Venture Mentor Network in Portland Maine. He is a member of several professional and industry associations. Paul is a graduate of the Northeastern University degree paramedic program and was an adjunct faculty in the paramedic program for 10 years.

Abbott, Scarborough, ME Elaine Herzig has been with Abbott Diagnostics Scarborough for 14 years, holding various Operations roles, and is currently the Product Transfer Manager for their Lateral Flow business, based in Westbrook. As part of Abbott's Rapid Diagnostics Division, Elaine is involved in the manufacturing of infectious disease tests, including the BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Antigen Self Test. She is also the Chair of the Abbott Maine W-STEM Chapter. Elaine’s career began at Binax, where she worked in Operations and R&D. She then gained experience in R&D and Operations at Casco Standards and later worked in Operations at Envirologix. Elaine eventually returned to Alere (formerly Binax and now Abbott), continuing her leadership in rapid diagnostic solutions. Elaine is a Maine native with a BS in Biotechnology from Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Quality, Regulatory & Compliance Consultant, ME

Kristin Gordon is an Independent Quality, Regulatory & Compliance Consultant for life science businesses, domestically and internationally, supporting organizations that want to bring medical devices, cosmetics, food, veterinary diagnostics, and pharmaceuticals to global markets. She has over 35 years of experience assisting life science companies develop products, implement processes to ensure they meet quality, regulatory, and legal requirements, and obtain regulatory approval for their products worldwide.

Previously, Kristin was the Senior Director of Quality and Regulatory at Abbott Laboratories, where she was responsible for all aspects of the quality and regulatory function for the consumer medical device business. She started her career at IDEXX Laboratories, where she spent 15 years with increasing responsibility, from Chemist to Global Head of Quality and Regulatory.

Kristin is a member of the WAVED Medical advisory board, a Maine Entrepreneurial Resource Corps Consultant through the Maine Technology Institute, a mentor for The McCarthy(s) Venture Mentoring Network at Northeastern University, and previously served on the board of directors for Junior Achievement of Maine. She received her Bachelor’s Degrees in Medical Technology and English from the University of Vermont and Medical Biology and Chemistry degrees from the University of New England. Kristin is also certified in Executive Leadership by Cornell University.

MDI Biological Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME

Jeri joined the MDI Biological Laboratory in 1999 as the Director of Development and Public Affairs, responsible for all fundraising, communications and government relations activities for the institution. As a member of the Executive Team, she has played a key role in the institution’s growth from an operating budget of $1.2 million in 1999 to nearly $20 million today.

Prior to joining the MDI Biological Laboratory, she held management positions in fundraising and communications at The Jackson Laboratory. Jeri is dedicated to strengthening Maine’s R&D sector, and has helped secure more than $120 million in funding through private and public sources to support biomedical research in Maine.

A nineth generation Maine native, she is deeply committed to creating opportunities for all Maine residents to live and work in Maine, and to ensuring the MDI Biological Laboratory’s continued growth and success. Jeri is the past president of the Association of Independent Research Institutions, a national membership organization dedicated to advocating for the ability of independent research institutions to improve human health and advance scientific knowledge. 

ElevenTwo, Inc., ME

Jim Strickland is the co-founder and chief technology officer of ElevenTwo, a private company that collaborates with research organizations and universities in Northern New England to license and develop promising intellectual property. He is also an adjunct researcher and mentor in residence at the Roux Institute at Northeastern University in Portland.

Jim’s career has focused on the intersection of research and entrepreneurship, where he has founded and led highly innovative entrepreneurial organizations in the life science and healthcare industries. His experience includes in and out licensing of technologies, pharmaceutical discovery and development, medical devices, diagnostics, and health information technology, and AI/ML. He is an inventor on five patents including novel compositions of matter, methods and algorithms, and AI/ML.

Jim has a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University, Bloomington and a Master of Science from University of Wisconsin, Green Bay. He is a passionate advocate for Maine’s research community and the future of the bioscience economy in the state.