BioGrow: Your Path to a Career in Biomanufacturing
In each February, BPD hosts its annual BioGrow symposium to showcase the extensive biologics and biopharmaceutical (biopharma) manufacturing education and career pathways available across North Carolina.
We are pleased to have a group of outstanding panelists and moderators for 2026 to share their insights and experience.
For more information and registration of this free event, please visit the BioGrow event page.
Faces of Success
Former students share how local educational programs helped prepare them for a biopharma career
Moderator
Darnette Belin
Career Development Employment Specialist, Durham Tech
Darnette Belin has a little over 17 years of experience in the biotech/biopharma industry where she worked as a lab tech, supervisor, department and project manager, trainer, and auditor. Along with being a referee as well as a cheerleader for employees, confidant for coworkers and a worker bee for her directors. She currently serves as the Career Development Employment Specialist at Durham Tech as well as Wake Tech where she helps guide students on their journey in the industry. Of all the positions Darnette has held, this one is the most enjoyable because her job doesn’t feel like “work” and she feels privileged to be a part of her students’ career journey. At home, Darnette is a wife to a retired Army Veteran as well as mother to two daughters that are 11 months apart.
Panelist
David Chukwu
Manufacturing Associate, FUJIFILM Biotechnologies
David is a Manufacturing Associate at FUJIFILM Biotechnologies supporting cGMP downstream drug manufacturing operations. He previously worked as a Laboratory Technician at ImmunoReagents, Inc. David earned his BioWork certificate and Applied Science Associate degree in Biotechnology from Wake Tech Community College.
Panelist
Margaret “Maggie” Churchil
Manufacturing Manager, Kyowa Kirin North America
Margaret “Maggie” Churchill is a Manufacturing Manager at Kyowa Kirin’s Sanford, NC site, where she leads a team focused on monoclonal antibody (mAb) production in a fully digital manufacturing environment. As part of the startup team, she is helping build a state-of-the-art facility scheduled to open in early 2027. Maggie currently manages four operators and will expand her team to 12 by March 2026. She earned her BioWork certificate in 2025 and began a Master’s in Biomanufacturing at NC State University’s BTEC in January 2026, while also taking General Biology at Central Carolina Community College.
Before transitioning to biopharma, Maggie served in Special Operations in the military, where she managed teams, developed projects, and implemented Lean Six Sigma initiatives to drive efficiency and operational success. After her military service, she joined Pfizer as a Continuous Improvement Project Manager, leading process optimization initiatives and supporting operational excellence—experiences that laid the foundation for her move into advanced manufacturing.
Maggie is passionate about operational excellence, workforce development, and building resilient systems that enable patient-centered production. She is continuing her education to deepen her expertise in drug substance and biomanufacturing and plans to advance into site leadership roles in the future.
Panelist
Haroon Dar
Associate Process Consultant, Novo Nordisk Engineering(NNE)
Haroon is a Process Consultant with NNE based in Clayton, NC. His professional interests include working with industrial scale process and utility equipment, and Instrumentation/Controls. He previously worked at Fujifilm Biotechnologies site in Holly Springs supporting the commissioning of various upstream, downstream, and utility systems.
Prior to Fujifilm, Haroon earned his Masters in Biomanufacturing and BS in Nutrition from NC State, where he also completed an internship in Upstream Process Development.
Panelist
Abigail Smith
Calibration Technician, CSL Seqirus
Abigail Smith is currently a Calibration Technician at CSL Seqirus, where she supports reliable and compliant operations through precise calibration and maintenance of critical instrumentation. Abigail’s journey into the biopharma industry began with Bioworks in 2022 at Wake Technical Community college and continued with a combination of hands-on and classroom experience in a maintenance apprenticeship at CSL Seqirus through NC Biotech and the NC Life Sciences Apprenticeship Consortium, which gave her foundational exposure to technical work in a highly regulated manufacturing environment. She went on to earn an Associate of Applied Science in Bioprocess Manufacturing Technology from Wake Technical Community College and is currently completing a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology (BSIT) with a concentration in Bioprocess Manufacturing at East Carolina University.
Path to Success
Hiring managers discuss key skills needed for success in biopharma
Moderator
Liana Palaikis
Director of Workforce Development, North Carolina Biotechnology Center
Liana currently serves as Director of Workforce Development with the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. She is responsible for providing administrative and strategic guidance in support of the development, management, and expansion of key life science outreach and training programs to ensure that North Carolina’s life sciences companies can access and leverage talent across the state.
Liana’s 20+ year career as a scientist and leader spans diverse industry and technology areas, including personal healthcare, biotechnology, and green chemistry, working end-to-end to bring innovations to market. Her experience in both Fortune 500 and start-up companies equip her with valuable industry perspective and commercialization know-how. After her tenure with 3M Company in St. Paul, MN, she moved to Raleigh in 2018 to continue leading R&D programs and developing R&D personnel, drawing on her growth validation, strategy, intellectual property, partnership, and business development skills to advance people, new technologies and product growth platforms for growing companies.
Liana earned her bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, MI, and completed her doctorate in Surface Chemistry from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Panelist
Angela Corbin
Senior Manager Quality – Steriles, Thermo Fisher Scientific
Angela Corbin is a seasoned quality professional with more than 26 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. She currently serves as Senior Manager, Global Quality at Thermo Fisher Scientific, where she provides global site support within the Pharmaceutical Services Group (PSG). In this role, Angela leads initiatives in Contamination Control and Microbial Excellence, with responsibility for sterility assurance, aseptic processing, cleaning and disinfection programs, training development, and technical consultation.
Throughout her career, Angela has held progressively responsible quality and leadership roles across multiple organizations, including Thermo Fisher Scientific, Patheon, DSM Pharmaceuticals, Catalytica, and Environment 1, Inc. Her experience spans oral solid dose, sterile, and biologic drug substance and drug product manufacturing encompassing both development and commercial operations. She has supported filling and packaging, laboratory operations, audits, complaint management, validation programs, and regulatory inspections, working extensively with global regulatory agencies and industry experts to drive continuous improvement in quality systems.
Angela has been a member of the Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) and the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE). She has delivered a case study presentation in conjunction with STERIS at PDA/ISPE conferences, case study in company implementation of virtual reality operator training and has served as a guest lecturer at East Carolina University.
Angela obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Health (Public Health/Industrial Hygiene) from East Carolina University. While a student at East Carolina University, Angela completed internship roles at Glaxo-Wellcome and Burroughs-Wellcome, gaining hands-on experience in microbiological identification/validation laboratories.
Panelist
Mark Lockette
Maintenance Manager for Instrumentation and Calibration, CSL Seqirus
Mark Lockette is the Maintenance Manager for Instrumentation and Calibration at CSL Seqirus, where he has worked since 2016 in roles spanning manufacturing, process mechanics, and maintenance leadership. Prior to joining CSL Seqirus, Mark served 14 years in the United States Air Force and held leadership positions in a major corporation. He holds two Associate of Science degrees in Engineering and Applied Science from Wake Technical Community College and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree at Tuskegee University.
Panelist
Laura O’Dell
Senior HR Business Partner, Körber Pharma Software
Laura O’Dell is a Human Resources leader and Executive Coach who advises leaders and teams on talent decisions through an organizational development and coaching lens. She partners closely with recruiters and hiring managers to help teams think beyond selection and focus on long-term success. Laura’s expertise is grounded in her work supporting leaders after they join an organization, giving her a deep understanding of the skills, mindsets, and conditions required for individuals and teams to thrive. She brings a practical, people-centered perspective to internal advising, helping organizations build strong foundations for performance, growth, and leadership effectiveness. She is based in the Raleigh, NC area where she lives with her husband and two children.