How to Succeed as President of ISPE Boston: Lead, Follow AND Get Out of the Way…

Over the past year, even before the ink dried on the votes, I’ve heard various versions of this question more than any other: “How does it feel to be President of the ISPE Boston Area Chapter???” This is not a simple organization, and there really is no simple answer to that question.

Our Chapter has long been recognized as the best in the world. As any of our Past Presidents would quickly point out, this is because we have the best team in the world. Everything that happens here is created by our volunteers (over 140, across our Board of Directors and committees), and backed up by the amazing staff at CAMI. The most important job of the President (and the Board) is to encourage our team and empower them to be successful.

We are extremely fortunate that Boston / Cambridge is the Biotech Hub of the World, and our geographic area affords us access to a very dense population of biopharmaceutical companies and professionals. But it’s the hard work and ceaseless creativity of our team that makes everything happen, so that we can deliver compelling content and local value to our (over 1600) members.

As President, at least 90% of the time, I consider the job as “just” another volunteer committee to run. Provide input and guidance where needed, allow new ideas to be tested, and know when to stay out of the way and let our committee leaders and volunteers work their magic. None of us gets to this role overnight, and none of us would still be volunteering if we’d been micromanaged along the way.

So, a quick look back at one of our busiest years…

In September 2022, we marked the 30^th anniversary of the ISPE Boston Product Show. For the first time ever, we had over 4,000 attendees! Tom Hartman, President and CEO of ISPE, joined us for his first time. As we predicted, Tom was extraordinarily impressed when he saw the behemoth that our Product Show has become. A strong Boston Area Chapter makes a strong ISPE, and the Product Show is the crown jewel in our calendar, and to a large degree enables everything else that we do.

In October, several of us attended the ISPE Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL. I “crashed” Mr. Hartman’s President’s Reception and learned that he was seeking donations for the ISPE Foundation. After a dozen phone calls, I secured a unanimous vote of the BOD, and two days later, presented ISPE with a special donation of $30,000, to mark our 30^th anniversary. We were able to make this announcement at the social event at Sea World, where I also recognized Brooke DeSimone and the large contingent of students from UMass Dartmouth (to a thunderous round of applause!).

Over the winter, we worked tirelessly at a final round of updates to the new charter (the agreement between ISPE and ISPE Boston), and ultimately approved a comprehensive document that will serve all of us for many years to come. In Florida, we demonstrated to ISPE that we’re part of their team, and we’ll all continue to succeed by working in a spirit of cooperation and respect.

Meanwhile, our local committees remained active providing engaging content to the members in our area. The 2022 Product Show was the “warning shot across our bow,” and demand for in-person events has been stronger than ever over the past year. The Product Show Committee, along with CAMI and our incredible partners at Gillette Stadium, delivered one of the most successful shows to date. We filled every nook and cranny of the stadium, including the field. Speaking with some of Gillette’s staff, we’re one of the largest events, and I like to say that every time they renovate and expand, it’s to help make our Product Show even bigger and better!

The Social Committee held a record-setting mid-winter social, and as always knocked it out of the park with the ski trip and golf outings. We were able to add live music to several key events, thanks to our long-time friends, and original Battle of the Biotech Bands winners, The 12 Barz Band! Thanks to Bill Mack for reaching out and making that happen.

Our Women in Pharma group hosted a wide variety of events, featuring a special multi-part training event called “Business Acumen for Women.” They continued to run WIP Walks, a golf clinic, and a golf tournament. Caren Jenkins and Yolanda McLean and a very large cohort of volunteers never cease to amaze me with their new ideas!

Our Ethnocultural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion group danced, golfed, and sailed their way across 2022-2023. A brand-new Juneteenth golf tournament, led by Brooke Cote and Eni Adedokun El-Wadi, and benefiting Project Onramp, was hugely successful. Our inaugural entry into the Boston Dragon Boat Festival resulted in a second-place finish for the ISPE Boston team! And a focus on food and dance helped further break down barriers.

It’s no secret that education is one of the pillars upon which ISPE (and ISPE Boston) exists. Our Education Program Committee received a new shot in the arm in the form of Shannon DeMello and Brooke Cote as new Co-Chairs, quickly filling out a calendar of new and exciting events.

Heather Longden successfully petitioned to create a local GAMP Community of Practice right here in the Boston Area Chapter (a first for the USA). She immediately put that to work, and with the EPC, hosted a well-attended event in June.

The Student Chapters are also more active than ever. In February, a hugely successful Student Career Workshop was held at UMass Lowell. This has long been a premier event for ISPE Boston, with a rich history of support from countless Past Presidents. Our students are the future of our industry!

And our Emerging Leaders group came together to host a Professional Development series, as well as fun social events such as the outing at Puttshack in Boston.

A theme you may have noticed over the past year is that our committees are working together to co-host events. This is all about combining interest groups to host even larger events, while reducing the impact on our members’ busy schedules. It also provides for some cross-pollination between committees, which can help identify and share best practices.

So, I guess that covers lead and get out of the way. Following is harder to see…

I, like anyone in this role, have been extremely fortunate to be able to rely on an incredible group of Past Presidents. Tom Struble, Cory Siddons and Eric Felz were instrumental in helping to work through multiple rounds of charter edits before I became President. Jack Campion, Brian Hagopian and Jim Grunwald have been tireless mentors for me personally and will always continue to support the chapter. John Spohn, Rick Pierro and Dave Novak are great cheerleaders. Every single Past President that I’ve met has been amazingly supportive, and I am forever grateful for that. It is difficult to convey just how humbling it is to now be counted amongst them.

Kathryn Marini, Jesse McLaughlin, and Janelle Carretero have been rock stars, and are always supportive. I have learned so much by listening to their advice. They, along with Lindsey Daniel, are very well suited to lead the chapter over the next year (and beyond).

I am pleased to see Eni Adedokun El-Wadi, Kristin D’Angelo, John Ganley, Caren Jenkins, Heather Longden, George Skillin and Sunny Tam continue as board members. It’s been an honor to serve with them, and as their President. Each of these folks has dedicated so much time and effort for the benefit of our membership.

We also owe sincere thanks to departing board members Howard Sneider, Katherine Leitch, and Edwin Harmon, who have each served the Chapter for many years, in a variety of roles. Like all of our board members, these folks have worked tirelessly on our behalf.

Finally, I’d like to extend a gracious welcome to our newest board members: Lindsey Daniel, Aaron Hubbell, Laura Berberian and Yolanda McLean. Lindsey brings many years of experience at ISPE internationally, and Aaron, Laura and Yolanda have been stalwart committee leaders right here at the Boston Area Chapter.

See? Lead, follow and get out of the way…