Team

Josie Sette, MS, is a Regional Director for the Life Sciences/Biotechnology Initiative of the California Community Colleges System. She serves as the primary liaison for all community college faculty and administration staff that offer biotechnology programs in the Greater Bay Area, where she connects them to industry employers and the K-12 system. Josie holds a MS in Education from Indiana University. Josie joined the BABEC board in 2011 to persue her vision for BABEC to grow and become a leader of biotechnology teacher education and a strong partner of community colleges.

Lori Lindburg, PhD, is the President and CEO of the California Life Sciences Institute. With over 20 years of experience in non-profit management, Lori has worked with the private sector, local governments, industry and organizations in the U.S. and Europe to develop workforce and entrepreneurial systems in growth industries that are inclusive of underserved communities. Having completed coursework for a Ph.D. in International Relations and Comparative Politics at American University in Washington, D.C., Lori served as a Senior Research Associate at the Brussels-based Migration Policy Lori Joined the BABEC board of Directors on 2012. Lori’s interest in serving on the BABEC Board is to sustain and expand its model for under-resourced classrooms, particularly those serving under-represented students, and to engage the life sciences industry in career-inspiring/-building interactions with students.

Jimmy Ikeda, BS, SSTC, teaches Biotechnology at San Mateo High School, where he is the Lead Teacher of the Biotechnology Career Pathway, and is also the Biotechnology Internship Director. The SMHS Biotechnology Program emphasizes a hands-on approach to teaching science.  People learn science by actively doing it and it is exciting to see the students actively engaged in the lab activities and topics being discussed. Prior to teaching biotech, Jimmy taught AP Biology and Life Science at San Mateo High School and Biology and Integrated Science at Francis Polytechnic High School in Los Angeles, CA. He has BA in Biology and Secondary Education, University of Northern Colorado. Jimmy joined the BABEC board in 2015, and enjoys serving on the board  to help promote Biotechnology education to as many students in the Bay area as possible.  I believe that Biotechnology education teaches students more than science, but important life and professional career skills that will help each student succeed.

Nick Kapp, PhD, is Professor in the STEM Division at Skyline College, where he is also the Director of the Biotechnology Program. He most enjoys witnessing those “A-ha” moments when the scientific process finally clicks for his students, and he likes collecting investigative toys in his lab such as fermenters and DNA analyzers.  Nick received a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and has been teaching, working, and tinkering in molecular biology laboratories for the last 30 years.  Nick has been in the BABEC Board since 2015, and supports the work of BABEC because he wants to see the democratization of genetic engineering and synthetic DNA to students who typically do not see themselves as scientists.

Distinguished Professor Jim DeKloe founded Solano College’s Industrial Biotechnology program in 1997, creating one of the first U.S. programs designed to train students for biomanufacturing. The program has become a national model and serves the biotech manufacturing cluster along the Interstate 80 corridor between San Francisco and Sacramento. DeKloe led the effort to make Solano one of the first California community colleges authorized to offer a baccalaureate degree and designed the country’s first Certificate of Achievement in Cell and Gene Therapy. He also helped design a $34 million biomanufacturing facility on campus.

DeKloe has received numerous honors, including the 2024 Exemplary Program Award from the National Council for Workforce Education and the 2023 Ron Mardigian Biotechnology Teaching Award, the highest national honor for biotechnology educators. He was named one of sixteen national “Modern Makers” by the US Manufacturing Innovation Institutes, and the City of Vacaville declared “Professor Jim DeKloe Day” in his honor. He currently serves as Co-Principal Investigator on grants from NIIMBL and the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine.

Seve has had a thirty plus year career in public service, typically as a Parks and Recreation or Community Services Director, in six States. His work has revolved around building community through the practices of the triple bottom line—social, financial, and environmental—playing a role in all aspects of daily work. This work has involved all ages and people of all abilities, and especially the youth, opening doors to career path development, internships, employment, and geared toward marginalized populations.

He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Yerba Buena Gardens Conservancy in San Francisco, stewarding the 87 acres of a downtown oasis through activations, programming, and building community.

A fun fact about Seve is that he is well-travelled to over 40 countries, and calls Zambia home.

Darlene Harper is a results-driven strategic global CHRO with over 20 years of experience leading the HR function and supporting hyper-growth start-ups to traditional billion-dollar businesses. Her significant finance background enhances her ability to align Equity and Compensation initiatives with corporate goals and strategy. Known for her collaborative approach, Darlene leverages her deep experience to develop managers, build strong leadership pipelines, and lead effective succession plans. She excels in coaching, mediation, crucial conversations, fostering a positive work environment, and has significant expertise in HR business partnerships, compensation models, and total rewards.

Darlene currently serves as a Limited Partner with West Coast Angel Network and as an Advisor for K2x, a Technology & Life Science fund. She holds board positions with the Silicon Valley National HR Association and recently joined the Bay Area Bioscience Education Community Board, driven by her enduring commitment to fostering the next generation of life science professionals dedicated to advancing lifesaving technologies. Her governance experience also includes previous board service with the Northern California HR Association.

Esther is a genetic engineer, a start-up advisor, a bioeconomist, a biohacker, and a friend of the synthetic biology ecosystem. She has spent her early years working as a yeast metabolic engineer to produce biochemicals in biomanufacturing. Esther spent most of her years in industry with the biotech pirate king Jo Zayner, CEO of The ODIN, where she built CRISPR engineering kits for home education before remote learning was cool. She is currently building the nex-gen scientist at The Knowledge Society (TKS). Esther is a coach to over 100 brilliant and driven students that work on the world’s largest problems.