ACC
Linnea Fletcher
InnovATEBIO Principal Investigator
Leadership team
Meet the people coordinating InnovATEBIO nationally.
The leadership team brings together biotechnology educators, workforce partners, hub leads, data specialists, and evaluators from institutions across the country.
16
leaders in the directory
7
partner organizations
8
major focus areas
National
center-scale coordination
At a glance
A distributed team with clear areas of responsibility.
Center leadership
Biomanufacturing
High school pathways
Supply chain
Undergraduate research
Biotech careers
Digital infrastructure
Evaluation
Center leadership
Core leaders connect strategy, research, careers, and equity.
FLCC
James Hewlett
InnovATEBIO Co-PI
MiraCosta
Terri Quenzer
InnovATEBIO Co-PI, DEIA Initiative Lead, CA State Team Co-Lead, Supply Chain Hub Co-Lead
DWB
Sandra Porter
InnovATEBIO Co-PI, Biotech-Careers and Entrepreneurship Hub Lead
Directory
Browse by partner organization.
Organization sections keep the full team visible while making it easier to understand who leads each part of the InnovATEBIO work.
Austin, Texas
Austin Community College
National center leadership, grant coordination, alumni engagement, and biomanufacturing education.
ACC
Linnea Fletcher
InnovATEBIO Principal Investigator
Biotechnology Department Chair, Austin Community College
Leads InnovATEBIO from Austin Community College with deep experience in biotechnology education, grant leadership, and program development.
Principal investigatorBiotechnology programsNSF ATE
Profile details
- Holds degrees in Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Microbiology, with postdoctoral research in Immunology and Biochemistry.
- Received a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Texas at Austin.
- Has served as Principal Investigator on major grants, including the InnovATEBIO National Biotechnology Center grant renewed in 2024.
- Started the Biotechnology Program at ACC in 1999 and joined the first NSF-funded National Biotechnology Education Center, Bio-Link.
- Previously served as an NSF Program Officer and helped launch high school biotechnology programs in Texas through an NSF ATE grant.
- Received an Emerging Technology Fund Grant in 2015 to build a bioscience incubator at ACC.
linneaf@austincc.edu
ACC
Cassandra Mitchell-Nothaus
InnovATEBIO Grant Coordinator, Alumni Hub
Coordinates grant activity, budgeting, reporting data, alumni engagement, and visual communications for InnovATEBIO.
Grant coordinationAlumni hubData collection
Profile details
- Serves as InnovATEBIO Grant Coordinator at Austin Community College.
- Oversees grant funding and budgeting, gathers data, and creates visual presentations that support grant initiatives.
- Previously supported the Biotechnology Department as a Laboratory Assistant, managing cell culture facilities and preparing instructional experiments.
- Supports the ACC Biotechnology Alumni Network through workshops, industry collaboration, career-readiness opportunities, and alumni data tracking.
ACC
Dion Krupa
InnovATEBIO Grant Manager
Manages InnovATEBIO operations, ATE webinars, workshops, meetings, reporting, and the day-to-day grant infrastructure.
Grant managementATE eventsCompliance
Profile details
- Supervises day-to-day activities for the InnovATEBIO grant and supports NSF reporting.
- Organizes Advanced Technological Education webinars, workshops, meetings, and information-gathering efforts.
- Brings more than 25 years of experience in teaching, training, leadership, administration, and education.
- Has federal and state grant writing, compliance reporting, supervision, and program administration experience.
- Holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education, a Master of Arts in Education, and doctoral coursework in community college leadership.
ACC
Margaret Bryans
InnovATEBIO Leadership Team, Biomanufacturing Lead
Professor of Biotechnology, Montgomery County Community College
Leads biomanufacturing work across curriculum, faculty development, skill standards, and industry-connected technician training.
BiomanufacturingCurriculumFaculty training
Profile details
- Received a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Glasgow, Scotland.
- Completed postdoctoral work at the Friedrich Miescher Institute in Basel and at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center.
- Serves as Biotechnology Program Coordinator at Montgomery County Community College.
- Has led biotechnology and biomanufacturing program development, curriculum design, course assessment, and student research programs.
- Former Principal Investigator of the Northeast Biomanufacturing Center and Collaborative, creating technician training materials with industry partners.
- Designed and hosted train-the-trainer events in biomanufacturing, including cell and gene therapy education.
San Francisco Bay Area
Bay Area Bioscience Education Community
High school pathways, supply chain learning, curriculum support, and hands-on bioscience education.
BABEC
Elizabeth Doggett
Curriculum Lead, BABEC
Leads BABEC curriculum projects and helps teachers bring hands-on biotechnology lessons into classrooms.
CurriculumTeacher supportClassroom labs
Profile details
- Joined BABEC in July 2019 and develops phenomenon-driven biotechnology lessons for students.
- Previously taught biology and biotechnology at San Mateo High School.
- Worked as a professional research assistant studying a gene associated with Parkinson's disease.
- Earned a BA in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado Boulder and a master's degree in Education from Stanford University.
BABEC
Emily Quach
BABEC, Supply Chain Hub
Supports supply chain learning through community college biotechnology and biomanufacturing experience.
Supply chain hubBiomanufacturingTeaching
Profile details
- Discovered a passion for biology through community college coursework at Laney College.
- Earned an A.S. in Biology and a certificate in Biomanufacturing before completing a B.S. in Biotechnology at UC Davis and an M.S. at CSU East Bay.
- Joined Laney College as an instructor after graduate study.
- Has been part of the InnovATEBIO community and Supply Chain Hub since 2021.
BABEC
Michael Fuller
InnovATEBIO High School Pathways Hub Lead, BABEC Pathways Lead
Helps Bay Area teachers implement biotechnology lessons and builds pathways between high school and college biotech programs.
High school pathwaysTeacher implementationDual enrollment
Profile details
- Works as a Pathway Lead for BABEC, helping teachers implement biotechnology lessons in Bay Area classrooms.
- Previously served as Principal of Gateway High School, increasing access to STEM courses and experiences.
- Taught biology and biotechnology during 20 years in San Francisco public high schools.
- Continues to teach Dual Enrollment Biotechnology courses for Skyline College.
- Worked at Gilead Sciences in virology before teaching, focusing on HIV resistance to reverse transcriptase inhibitors.
- Graduated from UC Davis with a BS in Genetics.
BABEC
Ying-Tsu Loh
Ying-Tsu Loh, Ph.D., Executive Director, BABEC
Leads BABEC and co-leads BioSCOPE, connecting hands-on bioscience education, teacher support, and student-driven manufacturing.
Executive leadership9-14 educationSupply chain
Profile details
- Serves as Executive Director of BABEC, a nonprofit advancing hands-on bioscience education for grades 9-14.
- Under her leadership since 2016, BABEC engages more than 150 teachers annually through workshops, in-class support, and affordable lab resources.
- Oversees strategic and business development and builds collaborations with educational and nonprofit partners.
- Co-leads BioSCOPE, the InnovATEBIO Supply Chain Hub, which integrates student-driven manufacturing and analysis projects into education.
- Previously served as adjunct faculty in the Biotechnology Program at City College of San Francisco, coordinated internships, and helped develop mentor training.
- Earned a Ph.D. in agronomy and plant molecular biology from Purdue University and completed postdoctoral research at Michigan State University.
Cold Spring Harbor, New York
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory DNA Learning Center
Genetics education, bioinformatics, sequencing, and broad participation in student research.
DNALC
Anna Feitzinger
Assistant Director for Science, DNA Learning Center
Applies quantitative biology and biochemistry expertise to make bioinformatics and sequencing more accessible in classrooms.
Genetics educationBioinformaticsNanopore sequencing
Profile details
- Serves as Assistant Director for Science of the DNA Learning Center at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Works to bridge bioinformatics education across pre-college and college learning.
- Spearheads education uses of Oxford Nanopore sequencing with a goal of making sequencing available in classrooms nationwide.
- Received a B.A. in Chemistry from Hunter College and a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of California, Davis.
DNALC
Dave Micklos
InnovATEBIO Leadership Team
Founder and Executive Director, DNA Learning Center
Founded the DNA Learning Center and has shaped national hands-on genetics and bioinformatics education for high school and college audiences.
Genetics educationStudent researchCyberinfrastructure
Profile details
- Founded and directs the DNA Learning Center, a science center focused on public genetics education.
- Helped establish the DNALC as a model for hands-on lab programs at museums and higher education institutions.
- Authored DNA Science, Laboratory DNA Science, and Genome Science, which helped expand DNA education in classrooms.
- Advocates for broad student participation in research using DNA sequence analysis and high-performance computing.
- Co-PI of CyVerse and recipient of multiple national science education awards.
- Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Canandaigua, New York
Finger Lakes Community College
Undergraduate research, biomanufacturing, natural sciences, and community college STEM reform.
FLCC
James Hewlett
InnovATEBIO Co-PI
Professor of Biology, Finger Lakes Community College
Connects InnovATEBIO to undergraduate research, biotechnology program leadership, biomanufacturing, and community college STEM reform.
Co-PIUndergraduate researchBiomanufacturing
Profile details
- Studied biology at Bucknell University and physiology/marine science at the University of Connecticut.
- Entered doctoral training at the University of Rochester, working on adenoviral vectors for gene therapy.
- Serves as Coordinator of Natural Sciences and Director of Biotechnology/Biomanufacturing at Finger Lakes Community College.
- Serves as Executive Director of the Community College Undergraduate Research Initiative, a network of 120 community and technical colleges.
- Serves on editorial boards for the Journal of Advanced Technological Education and CBE Life Sciences Education.
- President and CEO of STEMsolutions LLC, a New York consulting firm focused on higher education STEM reform and customized industry training.
james.hewlett@flcc.edu
FLCC
Jessica Halliley
Undergraduate Research Hub Project Coordinator
Supports undergraduate research experiences through hands-on, industry-relevant projects with community college students and faculty.
Undergraduate researchTechnical supportStudent projects
Profile details
- Earned an M.S. in Immunology from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and a B.S. in Biotechnology from RIT.
- Has 10 years of research experience at the University of Rochester in B cell responses to novel flu vaccines.
- Since 2016, has worked as a technical specialist at Finger Lakes Community College.
- Has served as project coordinator for the Northeast Biomanufacturing Center and Collaborative and the InnovATEBIO Undergraduate Research Hub.
Oceanside, California
MiraCosta College
California workforce alignment, DEIA, state teams, and supply chain biomanufacturing.
MiraCosta
Terri Quenzer
InnovATEBIO Co-PI, DEIA Initiative Lead, CA State Team Co-Lead, Supply Chain Hub Co-Lead
Leads regional and state work that aligns bioscience programs with industry needs and broadens access to internships and employment.
DEIACalifornia state teamSupply chain
Profile details
- Serves as Executive Director of the Bioscience Workforce Development Hub at MiraCosta College.
- Leads regional and state initiatives aligning more than 40 California community college bioscience programs with industry needs.
- Leads the InnovATEBIO DEIA Initiative to improve accessible learning pathways for students with disabilities and other hardships.
- Co-leads the California State Team and the Supply Chain Hub.
- Trained as an analytical chemist and worked for more than seven years in the pharmaceutical industry.
- Holds a BACE Credential and supports entry-level hiring practices based on validated knowledge and skills.
tquenzer@miracosta.edu
Seattle, Washington
Digital World Biology
Biotech careers, entrepreneurship, bioinformatics, data systems, and digital learning tools.
DWB
Sandra Porter
InnovATEBIO Co-PI, Biotech-Careers and Entrepreneurship Hub Lead
President and Founder, Digital World Biology
Connects biotech education with digital tools, career exploration, entrepreneurship, and bioinformatics learning.
Co-PICareers hubBioinformatics
Profile details
- Founded Digital World Biology, which develops molecular modeling apps, games, books, and educational tools for biotech and molecular biology.
- Earned a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Washington and worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
- Led a biotechnology education program at Seattle Central Community College for 10 years.
- Worked at Geospiza, a bioinformatics software company later acquired by PerkinElmer.
- Writes about bioinformatics education and leads ATE work focused on undergraduate research in antibody engineering.
sandra at digitalworldbiology.com
DWB
Todd Smith
InnovATEBIO Chief Software Architect and Data Scientist
Chief Technology Officer, Digital World Biology
Builds the data and software infrastructure that connects InnovATEBIO, Bio-Link, Biotech-Careers, educators, students, and employers.
Software architectureData scienceIndustry systems
Profile details
- Earned BS degrees in Genetics and Biochemistry from the University of Minnesota and a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Washington.
- Worked in the Seattle biotechnology industry before graduate study.
- Developed bioinformatics software in Leroy Hood's laboratory during BRCA1 sequencing work.
- Co-founded Geospiza in 1997 and led commercial development of LIMS and high-throughput analysis systems.
- Joined Digital World Biology in 2013 to lead business development and provide business and bioinformatics consulting services.
- Advises biotechnology startups and serves on advisory boards for genomics-related companies.
Program evaluation partner
Sound Research Center
Evaluation, survey design, research methods, data analysis, and impact reporting.
SRC
Candiya Mann
InnovATEBIO National Center Evaluator
Principal Consultant, Sound Research Center
Helps InnovATEBIO and related NSF ATE efforts tell their impact stories through evaluation, data, and evidence.
EvaluationSurvey designImpact data
Profile details
- Brings 25 years of experience in social science research, program evaluation, survey design, and data analysis.
- Has served as independent evaluator for more than 50 grants totaling more than $109 million across federal agencies.
- Has evaluated NSF ATE grants, including national centers, resource centers, and biotechnology education projects.
- Has been the longtime evaluator for InnovATEBIO and its predecessor, Bio-Link.
- Served on the advisory committee for EvaluATE and has presented at EvaluATE workshops.
- Holds a Master of Public Administration in International Management from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
support@soundresearchcenter.com
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