From Scientist to CSO: A Business and Industry Prep Course

Speakers

Course Organizers/Lead Instructors

Larry Petcovic

Human Workflows

SciPhD cofounder Larry Petcovic has 20+ years of experience in the social sciences and has trained thousands of scientists in the art of effective communication. The SciPhD program is the result of Petcovic's many years of experience developing and teaching social communications skills combined with the scientific and human industry knowledge of the cofounders of Human Workflows. Petcovic has worked as a health physicist, trainer, video/film producer, and has held executive positions in human resources, customer service, training, and development in a variety of industries. Petcovic holds a MS in both Radiation Sciences and Behavioral Sciences and continues research in the social neurosciences.

Randall Ribaudo, PhD

Human Workflows

Human Workflows and SciPhD cofounder Randall Ribaudo has over 20 years of experience in the scientific research and biotechnology field and has successfully made the transition from academia to industry. Ribaudo cofounded Human Workflows after more than five years at Celera Genomics. During his time at Celera, Ribaudo acted as a liaison between Celera and the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic communities, served as product manager responsible for developing support products for the Proteomics Groups mass spectrometry software, led the iScience Task Force to define strategic directions for sister company Applied Biosystems, advised on product development for the Celera Discovery System and enterprise solutions for information integration, and worked as a Manager of Strategic Solutions in the informatics business. Prior to Celera, Ribaudo worked at the biotechnology and bioinformatics company Molecular Applications Group. Ribaudo was responsible for presenting the revolutionary capabilities of MAG's products to representatives in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic communities.

Ribaudo also has extensive experience in the academic biological life sciences arena. After receiving a PhD in Immunology at the University of Connecticut, Ribaudo joined the Laboratory of Immunology, NIAID at the National Institutes of Health, where he studied the molecular basis of antigen presentation. Ribaudo then accepted a position at the National Cancer Institute in the Laboratory of Immune Cell Biology as a principal investigator, where he developed his own research program studying the immune response to viruses and tumors, leading a team of postdoctoral fellows, technicians, and university and high school students. His work at the National Cancer Institute led to the development of a novel technology to develop vaccines against tumors and viruses. Ribaudo holds patents for this technology, which are now being further developed by private companies. All of this experience has provided Ribaudo with tremendous insight into the rapidly exploding technological capabilities in areas of discovery research and information and data management, as well as a detailed understanding of the skills and competencies required for scientists to be successful in industry careers.

Additional Instructors

Mike Blank, JD

Mendeley, Inc.

Mike Blank is currently Manager of Business Development at Mendeley.com, the world's largest research collaboration platform and social network for academics and R&D professionals. Blank directs US growth strategy and develops partnerships with research organizations. Blank is also an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches courses on negotiation skills.

Prior to these two positions, Blank was VP Operations for Mind-Alliance Systems, LLC, a software services firm whose technology helps organizations share information and manage knowledge more effectively. As the fourth employee of this New Jersey start-up, Blank developed the business plan, raised its pre-Series A round, and managed financial services product development.

Prior to Mind-Alliance, Blank was an associate at Insight Partners, a conflict management consulting firm based in Boston. At Insight, Blank conducted negotiation and effective communication training for financial services firms around the globe, including Deutsche Bank, Merril Lynch, UBS Warburg, and a variety of specialty private wealth management and private equity firms. Blank began his career as a financial analyst in the Leverage Finance Group at Bear Stearns, & Co. Inc., where he helped mid- and large-cap companies like Nextel Communications and DRS Technologies raise almost $2 billion collectively in LBO financings and high yield refinancings.

Blank holds a BA in Economics from Dartmouth College and a JD from Harvard Law School.

Mary K. Pedigo PMP, CPA, CTT+

Montgomery College, NetMasters, Inc.

Mary K. Pedigo is a PMI-certified Project Management Professional (PMP), CPA, author, and IT professional. During 20 years in management and executive positions for large telecommunications, financial, and small consulting firms, her responsibilities included managing multimillion dollar budgets and staffing blends of international, multigenerational, multicultural employees and consultants. She leads projects in software development, selection and conversion, network planning and installation, instructional design, and information technology training.

Pedigo is a CompTIA Certified Technical Trainer (CTT+) and a technical courseware author of eight workbooks published on Web and software topics. She has trained thousands in project management, software applications, programming languages, and financial management.

Pedigo’s training, consulting, and project leadership experience spans US Government, corporate, and nonprofit firms including the Department of Veterans Affairs, University of Pittsburgh, United States Army, White House Office of the Executive, US Access Board, Verizon, AARP, Montgomery County Government, Montgomery College, Salisbury State University, and many others.

As founder of NetMasters, Inc., a project management consulting and training company, Pedigo advocates for continuous improvement of project management practices. She is an active member of Project Management Institute (PMI) and involved in local chapters in Montgomery County, DC, and Silver Spring. She receives “Excellent” student evaluations while providing instruction and leadership in Montgomery College’s School of Project Management.