Dear Women In Bio Members and Supporters,
As we move into the second quarter of 2025, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on our Q1 achievements, address our challenges, and share some exciting opportunities that lie ahead for our organization.
Q1 Highlights
This first quarter has been truly remarkable for Women In Bio. We’ve experienced tremendous growth and achieved several significant milestones, including:
- Our WIB National Board of Directors met in Dallas, TX on February 25-26, 2025, to align on our current status and to envision our future growth and the significant opportunities that lay ahead of us. We convened at Pegasus Park, met with Dallas metroplex life sciences women at BioLabs, a local life sciences incubator and the home of Colossal Biosciences, which recently made national news for the birth of dire wolf puppies. We also welcomed new Board member Katherine Andersen to our board.
- WIB engaged public relations firm Horseshoe Communications to help us tell our best stories and develop our media outreach processes. Stay tuned for more exciting media coverage very soon!
- Applications for our 2025 Impact Scholarships and our Boardroom Ready™ program kicked off, to advance the educational development of women by encouraging and supporting education in all aspects of life science.
- And last, but not least, WIB secured our largest sponsorships to date from a large law firm and a large pharmaceutical company, to support the expansion of our programming and initiatives including Executive Women In Bio and our mentorship offerings. Press Release from March 25, 2025.
Q2 – Challenges Ahead
Despite our momentum, we face several significant challenges.
- Funding and Environment Constraints: Funding cuts at the Nation’s capital, and specifically in the federal agencies that regulate our industry, threaten to affect our members’ job status and career growth, and their ability to expand their impact on our industry. WIB has also felt the pain, with our President-Elect and one of our Board members having made difficult decisions to step back from service as a result of the current political currents in Washington. Focusing on the future, WIB’s mission to support women in all stages of their careers remains unchanged. WIB continues to elevate women and their careers – from Bench to Boardroom, from Academia to Industry, from First Job to Last, and from Idea to Entrepreneur.
- Retention of Mid-Career Professionals: Life sciences industry data continues to show a troubling exodus of women at the mid-career level. Through these changes, WIB continues to develop stronger support mechanisms for critical career stages where many women face both career advancement obstacles and increased personal responsibilities.
Q2 – Opportunities Ahead
Looking forward, several promising developments are on the horizon:
- Increasing Demand for WIB: While government and corporate entities appear to have pulled back from DEI initiatives, the need for support for women throughout their careers remains unchanged. Therefore, WIB continues our important mission to promote the careers, leadership, and entrepreneurship of all women in the life sciences!
- Strategic Partnership with BIO: As we approach the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) International Convention in Boston, June 16-19, 2025, WIB is actively planning several exciting events for our membership. Join us for the EWIB-Boston breakfast on Monday, our Plenary event on Tuesday evening, speed networking at the WIB booth and an exclusive Executive Networking Reception on Wednesday. We can’t wait to meet with you in person! Check out our events here.
WIB’s initiatives require voices from all career stages and sectors. Your personal stories and professional insights make a powerful impact when educating policymakers about barriers facing women in biotech. As such, I invite every WIB member to take an active role in our chapter leadership, become a mentor or mentee, and engage with peers in our WIB Community. For those with limited time, consider hosting a coffee chat with a WIB colleague from your local area, or participate in monthly virtual programming options organized by chapters or the National programming team.
Spring is a time of transition and growth. Like many of you, I am preparing to celebrate the graduations of my two daughters from high school and college, and launching each of them into the next phases of their lives. I’m also preparing to celebrate Mother’s Day with my 78-year-old mother, whom I recently moved closer to my home to help her age gracefully in the final phase of her life. I wish each of you a happy spring, happy graduation, and a happy early Mother’s Day; whether you’re raising children, supporting others, or cultivating dreams, your compassion creates ripples of love that transform our world. May each of you feel celebrated for all the ways you care, guide, and make life more beautiful for those around you.
Thank you for your continued support and engagement. Together, we are changing the face of biotechnology and creating pathways for women to lead and succeed in this vital industry.
With gratitude and determination,
J. Dianne Keen-Kim, PhD, FACMG, HCLD(ABB)
2025 WIB National President & Board Chair
