Women in Bio Celebrates 20 years and Foundational Roots in the DC area

A 2020 survey conducted by BIO found that in the 100 biotech companies surveyed, women made up nearly half of total employees, but accounted for only 31% of executives and 23% of CEOs. Women’s representation suffers a steep decline in leadership positions across the life sciences, and the gap only widens for women of color.

When Lynn Johnson Langer and Debra Bowes, started their careers in the life sciences they both knew that gender diversity was rare, and even scarcer as women entrepreneurs. “Networking events I attended were mainly comprised of men. There were no opportunities to talk with women about their experiences and career opportunities,” said Johnson Langer.

This started to change in 2001, thanks to four women from the BioHealth Capital Region who came together to form a networking group for women entrepreneurs in life sciences across the region. From this idea, Women In Bio (WIB) was born – WIB is a professional organization with the mission of promoting the careers, leadership, and entrepreneurship of all women in the life sciences. This local grass roots organization, grew quickly over its first 10 years, blossoming to 250 members across the region.

Read the full article at: www.biohealthinnovation.org