Careers of Tomorrow 2025

Kirk Taylor, MD is a global pharmaceutical executive with expertise in Phase II – IV drug development, including CNS, oncology and rare disease. As Chief Medical Officer, Chief Strategy Officer and SVP Medical Affairs, he has restructured organizations, created strategic operating plans, and shaped corporate culture. His entrepreneurial acumen assisted in leading biotech start-up companies to successful IPOs and multiple funding rounds. He is people-first focused, leading teams with respect and innovation. In recognition of his positive impact, he was awarded the 2023 PharmaVoice 100 Executives Award.  

Dr. Taylor received his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College and studied piano at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge. He completed his Doctor of Medicine from the State University of New York, Downstate, his neurology residency at Einstein College of Medicine, and a post-doc at UCSF. He taught pain management to neurology residents at Yale VA Hospital for two years. Dr. Taylor fulfilled Deloitte University’s Sigma Pi Phi Board Directors Academy Program. With a personal commitment to excellence in corporate governance, he completed a certificate program in corporate governance from Columbia Business School and the Next Generation Board Directors program at UC Berkeley. He is a member of the Executive Leadership Council and serves on three non-profit boards.

Dr. Silverman graduated from Illinois in 1969 with a BS in Biology. In 1973 he earned an MD degree from the University of Chicago, then went on to training at the University of Iowa (Internal Medicine) and the University of Colorado (Rheumatology). After seven years in clinical practice he joined the pharmaceutical industry and now has four decades of experience in industry-sponsored clinical research of new therapeutic agents. His industry career has included positions of increasing responsibility at large companies, start-up and biotech companies, and a consulting firm, and spans virtually every therapeutic area from ophthalmology to diabetic foot infection (and most things in between).  

Since 1999 he has run his own consulting practice, providing expert, management-level services to mostly smaller companies without internal clinical expertise or infrastructure. He focuses on new drug development and clinical research-related activities, such as strategic clinical planning; peer-to-peer interactions with academic thought leaders and clinical investigators throughout the world; clinical trial protocol development, oversight, and data interpretation/presentation; and interactions with FDA and other international regulatory authorities. The majority of his projects involve planning for and executing first-in-man (Phase 1) trials, and large proof-of-principle Phase 2 trials. As he winnows down his project commitments, he is making mentoring, coaching, and teaching in and around the pharmaceutical industry among his highest priorities.

Kelsey is an Associate Scientist in Biologics Upstream Process Development at Bristol Myers Squibb in Devens, MA. She started at BMS in 2022 as a summer intern in Biologics Downstream Process Development and has now worked there full-time for 2.5 years. After graduating from Worcester Polytechnic Institute with a degree in Biomedical Engineering and minor in Physics, she returned to BMS as a member of their Kickstart Rotational Program (KSRP) - a 2-year program consisting of three 8-month rotations in different departments at the BMS Devens site. Her rotations included Biologics Upstream Process Development, Cell Therapy Supply Chain & Logistics, and Cell Therapy Manufacturing. Since completing the rotational program this past June, she has returned to Biologics Upstream Process Development for her placement. In addition to being a scientist, she is part of the Campus Outreach group at BMS.

Sarah K. Fritschi is a neuroscience leader with over 12 years of research experience in neurological disorders and drug development. She currently leads the discovery teams at Lilly Neuroscience Next Generation Therapeutics where she and her team are dedicated to discovering siRNA therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative and pain conditions. Located at Lilly's state-of-the-art Seaport Innovation Center, she is advancing assets through the preclinical pipeline to develop treatment options for those living with Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, ALS and chronic pain, positioning her at the forefront of scientific advancement to make a meaningful impact for patients. Prior to joining Lilly in 2020, she held a postdoctoral position at Washington University School of Medicine and holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Tübingen, Germany. During her academic career she has authored several publications in peer-reviewed journals including Science and Nature Neuroscience.

Debbie Millin is renowned for her ability to rapidly scale companies. She has led two separate organizations to achieve the distinction of being the #1 fastest-growing company in Massachusetts, including Globalization Partners (G-P), growing from a three-person startup to a remarkable $4.2 billion valuation in under six years. Deeply embedded in the Boston AI community, Debbie is passionate about fostering innovation and advises numerous CEOs of startups and mid-market companies. She serves on multiple technology company boards as an Independent Board Director, and is a board member at several non-profit organizations including the Museum of Science, the Bentley University Entrepreneurship Hub, and the Harvard Business School Alumni Board.

Elizabeth Kender is a Senior Footwear Developer at New Balance, where she leads the creation of performance basketball shoes worn by athletes around the world. With a masters degree in plastics engineering from UMass Lowell and an MBA from Purdue University, Elizabeth has built a career that blends science, sport, and innovation. She began her journey as a Division I lacrosse captain at UMass Lowell and earned an internship at New Balance while she was doing her masters at UMass Lowell. Over the past nine years, she has developed footwear across multiple sports, led sustainability initiatives, and mentored rising talent. Outside of work, she is a runner, golfer, and passionate advocate for women in STEM.

Mike McCarthy is Vice President of Design Communications Ltd (DCL), an internationally recognized custom manufacturer of architectural specialty products with locations throughout the country. DCL’s clients are involved in sports stadiums, theme parks, shopping malls, movie theaters, hospitals, universities and a variety of other projects. 

He has been involved with thousands of projects over his 25 year career with DCL. This includes work for Walt Disney World, SoFi Stadium, TD Garden, Madison Square Garden, Gillette Stadium, Netflix, Linked In, Amazon, Facebook, Coca-Cola, Hasbro, Logan Airport and many others. 

Mike graduated from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 1999 where he double majored in Visual Art and Mechanical Engineering. He is also on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of SEGD, the Society of Experiential Graphic Design.  

Locally, he serves on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable and last year, Governor Healy appointed Mike to Massachusetts STEM Advisory Council, where he works with the Secretary of Education to promote STEM (and STEAM) concepts to students throughout the Commonwealth.

Shauna Conway is the Founder of Strategic Growth and Innovation (SG+I) and the creator of Human Edge, an initiative that brings liberal arts and technology together to shape ethical, human-centered innovation. A former CIO and CISO with more than twenty years of experience across financial services, private equity, software and consulting; she helps organizations adapt to the ways technology is transforming work, learning, and society. Shauna collaborates with leaders across industry, academia, and government to design responsible and future-ready approaches to emerging technology. She is committed to helping the next generation enter the workforce with meaningful experience, a broader network, and the interdisciplinary mindset needed to work across fields such as engineering, writing, sociology, and marketing as they shape the future of technology.

Cate Mingoya-LaFortune serves as Groundwork USA's Chief Officer of Climate Resilience and Land Use. Cate is a people-centered climate adaptation planner, community organizer, educator, parent, and cautious optimist. Raised in an environmental justice neighborhood, she is committed to furthering a future where all people live in clean, thriving communities. She received a BA in biology from Reed College, a Master of Science Education from CUNY Lehman, and a Master of City planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  She is the author of the recently released book Climate Action for Busy People and was named a 2024 Grist Fixer.

Joshua Hodge is the Executive Director of the MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR), Research Director at the MIT Climate Policy Center, and a Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His work focuses on domestic and international climate and energy policy, with particular emphasis on the U.S. energy transition and renewable energy deployment. 

At MIT, Joshua has supported rural electric cooperatives across the United States in developing and implementing decarbonization strategies. He also served as Executive Director for Phase III of the joint Harvard–MIT Roosevelt Project, which examined the industrial and infrastructure dimensions of a low-carbon transition in the United States, and is a member of the MIT Net-Zero by 2026 Faculty Review Committee. 

Before assuming his current role, Joshua served as Deputy Executive Director at both CEEPR and the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change. Earlier in his career, he led the Commodities Research and Forecasts business for the Americas at Thomson Reuters and served as Managing Director, North America, at Point Carbon, a Norway-based energy market analysis firm, where he oversaw the launch of its North American products. 

Joshua holds an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, attended the University of St Andrews (UK) for his undergraduate studies, and is a graduate of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Executive Energy Leadership Academy. He has also served as a Commissioner on the City of Somerville’s Commission for Energy Use and Climate Change, advised the Museum of Science, Boston, and mentored students at the MIT Policy Hackathon. 

Rebecca Arellano (she/her) is the Green Jobs Specialist for the City of Cambridge's Office of Workforce Development. Her job is to help facilitate a just transition in the booming green workforce. She equitably helps Cambridge residents (from teens to adults) get jobs, internships and training that contribute to the preservation and/or restoration of the environment. She educates marginalized residents about green jobs pathways, inspires them to consider a green job, and supports them through their application process. 

Charlene McDonald, MBA, MS, SPC, is an accomplished technology executive with over two decades of experience driving innovation and operational excellence across global organizations. Starting her career as a software engineer and evolving into global operations, Charlene built a strong foundation in technology before expanding into operations, product development, and enterprise strategy. 

She has led transformative initiatives in the pharmaceutical and medical technology sectors and, for the past 3.5 years, has been at the forefront of digital transformation at National Grid as the IT&D Delivery and Operations Digital Transformation Director. In this role, Charlene focuses on streamlining digital product delivery for U.S. customers and redefining ways of working to be more agile and customer-centric; an especially challenging mission in a sector where technology investment is often undervalued despite being critical to service delivery. 

Charlene is passionate about bridging the gap between business and technology, enabling organizations to unlock value through digital capabilities. She speaks on topics such as agile transformation in traditional industries, customer-centric delivery models, and the future of digital in utilities.