Theresa Cassino brings together deep industry experience, a commitment to mentorship, and a passion for community-building within the life sciences ecosystem. Currently serving as Senior Director of Project Management at Dynavax, a Sanofi Company, Cassino has spent the past several years working across commercial and clinical-stage vaccine development, while also remaining deeply engaged in Women In Bio (WIB).
In addition to her professional role, Cassino serves as the 2026 HERstory Gala Chair for Women In Bio’s Capital Region Chapter, following her tenure as Vice Chair in 2025. Through this work, she has helped expand access to WIB programming, including the launch of the MyStory Scholarship Initiative for students.
I sat down with Theresa to talk about her career path, her involvement with Women In Bio, the importance of mentorship, and how the HERstory Gala reflects the organization’s broader mission.
Q: What first led you to Women In Bio, and what were you looking for at that point in your career?
A: I was looking to make sure I maintained a sense of community with people in the local area after moving from in-person roles to a remote position in 2018. Being remote, I also wanted opportunities to get away from my desk and connect with others in person. Women In Bio has been a great community for that. There are many people at similar stages in their careers, and you can learn a lot from other women in your field.
I’ve been involved in their mentoring and peer support program (MAPS), which meets once a month over Zoom. We discuss career challenges and different situations people are navigating, which makes it a really valuable support network. They also host in-person networking and learning events. Recently, I attended a seminar by an author who wrote Relationships at Work, and I learned a lot from that session.
Q: Mentorship is a core part of Women In Bio’s mission. How have mentors-both formal and informal-shaped your career and leadership style?
A: Mentorship has definitely shaped my career, I’ve had both formal and informal mentoring.
Through Women In Bio, I’ve been involved in the mentoring and peer support group, which is more like peer-to-peer mentoring. We help each other with different challenges, whether that’s navigating workplace situations, talking to a manager about a major life change, preparing for interviews, or thinking about next career steps.
Through my company, I’ve also been part of a formal mentoring program where I was paired with someone in senior leadership. That was a great opportunity to learn more about myself, the organization, and how executive leadership operates, as well as how to better present myself at that level.
Informally, I’ve also maintained relationships with mentors and colleagues I’ve worked with in the past. I still meet up with them for coffee from time to time, keep up with how they’re doing, and they do the same for me. Having advice from people who’ve gone through similar experiences is incredibly helpful.
Q: Drawing from your own experience, what advice would you offer early- and mid-career professionals who want to grow their impact in the life sciences?
A: Taking opportunities to network and meet other people is extremely important for any young professional. Learning from others can provide a lot of value – understanding what they’ve done before, the pitfalls they’ve experienced, and how they’ve overcome challenges.
That’s one of the reasons organizations like Women In Bio can be so helpful. You have access to women at all stages of their careers who can help guide you through different situations. I’ve met people who are earlier in their careers and people who are later in theirs, and there’s value in learning from both.
Q: Last year, the HERstory Gala introduced the MyStory Scholarship Initiative. What inspired this effort, and why was expanding access for students important to you and the chapter?
A: I’m really excited about the My Story Scholarship Initiative. Last year, as Vice Chair of the HERstory Gala, I was in charge of the awards process, and the MyStory Scholarships were a new award we introduced. The scholarship allows undergraduate or graduate students to attend the HERstory Gala, providing them with an event ticket as well as a one-year Women In Bio membership, which gives access to networking opportunities, mentoring programs, and peer support groups.
We had originally planned to offer five scholarships, but the initiative gained so much interest that additional donations allowed us to expand that number to seven. Recipients came from multiple local universities across Maryland, DC, and Virginia. In addition to my day job at Dynavax, I also teach in the biotechnology program at UMBC, and one of my master’s students was actually a recipient. It was really exciting to see firsthand the impact of this initiative and to watch her attend the event and join Women In Bio.
We’re offering the scholarship again this year, which is a great way to make the gala more accessible to students. Events like this can be expensive, but they provide incredible networking opportunities. We also make a point to seat scholarship recipients at tables where they can connect with people whose work and interests align with their own.
Q: How does the HERstory Gala reflect the broader mission of Women In Bio, and what makes it such a meaningful event for the Capital Region chapter?
A: Women In Bio is really focused on promoting women in the life sciences, and the HERstory Gala is a great celebration of that mission. Every year, we have a fantastic set of speakers, and we’re very intentional about selecting speakers who represent different areas of the industry – whether that’s government, academia, biotech, or pharma. We also aim to represent different parts of the DMV region, which is quite large.
We make a strong effort to partner with other organizations in the local ecosystem, including BioBuzz, Virginia Bio, TEDCO, and others, to help amplify and promote the work being done by women in the life sciences. One of our speakers last year was Tammi Thomas from TEDCO, which was a great partnership, and our other speaker was Kathie Callahan Brady from FITCI. Being able to draw speakers and attendees from across the region allows us to showcase the breadth of talent and leadership in the DMV.
The gala is held in a central location in Rockville, which makes it accessible to people coming from Baltimore, Frederick, DC, and Northern Virginia. It’s a great way to bring together people who may not always be able to attend other events, strengthen connections across the region, and celebrate the incredible accomplishments of women contributing to the life sciences ecosystem.
Learn more about the 8th Annual HERstory Gala and register to join here.
Nominations are also now open for the 2026 HERstory Gala awards and scholarships:
- MYstory Scholarship: https://lnkd.in/eyUn7aAv
- Rising Star Award: https://lnkd.in/eNHPdUFm
- Catalyst for Change Award: https://lnkd.in/eN3uNCUB
