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.

Bryony Ruegg, PhD, is Director of the Bio-Rad Explorer Program, where she …… Her favorite thing about her job is that she gets to make a difference in the lives of students and teachers and open up possibilities in the way in which they learn and teach science that would be otherwise closed. Previously Bryony worked as a research scientist, first at UCSF doing breast cancer research, then at Bio-Rad designing activities for the Explorer program. Bryony holds a PhD in biochemistry from the University of London. She joined the BABEC Board in 2015 because it allows her to directly support the teachers and make a difference to science education in her local community.

Elaine Johnson, PhD, recently retired as the Executive Director of Bio-Link, the National Center for Biotechnology Education funded by the National Science Foundation. Currently she serves as the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the American Association of University Women – California. In both roles, Elaine has enjoyed making connections between funders and colleagues that support hands-on learning and workplace skills.  She holds a PhD in Education from the University of Texas, Austin. Elaine has been a member of the BABEC Board since its inception and has dedicated over 25 years to BABEC’s mission. She continues to serve on the BABEC board because she is committed to supporting teachers who need supplies and relevant bioscience curriculum in order to provide hands-on science labs for all 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.

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.

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.