This March, in honor of Women's History Month, we are celebrating the remarkable women of Forge. Each week, we will spotlight a different team member through an interview conducted by peers. Join us as we share their stories, explore their work at Forge, and learn about the people who inspire them. Stay tuned for these weekly features!
Joyanna Wesche Blake, Vice President, Technology Services
Our second feature is Joyanna Wesche Blake, Vice President, Technology Services, interviewed by Jess Bender, Senior Generalist, Human Resources
About Joyanna
Joyanna Wesche Blake serves as Vice President of Technology Services at Forge Biologics, bringing extensive experience in strategic IT leadership within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. With a career spanning nearly two decades, she has led the development and execution of IT roadmaps that enhance manufacturing, supply chain, and quality operations. Prior to joining Forge, Joyanna served as Vice President of IT Project Delivery at Alkermes, where she spearheaded strategic IT initiatives across the organization. She also held senior leadership roles at Boehringer Ingelheim, overseeing IT systems for quality control and manufacturing across multiple sites in the Americas.
Joyanna holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Cleveland State University and a Bachelor of Science in Human and Consumer Sciences from Ohio University. Passionate about collaboration and innovation, she is dedicated to driving digital transformation and optimizing technology solutions to support Forge’s mission in advancing gene therapy manufacturing.
What do you do or value outside of work that contributes to when you are at work?
Some of my values are family, continuous learning and community engagement. I am in the lucky position to be able to combine all three of these by managing my 13-year-old’s Destination Imagination (a competitive STEAM based challenge) team. Watching the kids come together as a team to creatively solve problems helps me think about how to handle work problems from a different angle. I get to teach the team about project management and problem solving, reinforcing skills I use at work every day. I also get to learn along with them about whatever topics they decide to dig into each year.
What advice would you give to young women entering this profession/organization?
Make time for networking, particularly with industry and community groups. By attending events, you build relationships with others who share similar career interests. Many of these events have an education lens allowing for opportunities to stay up to date on current topics while meeting a cross section of people. Over time, you will be able to build trusted group of peers to vet ideas and continue to learn with.
Have you read any great books recently that have impacted your personal or professional life?
I just finished listening to The End of Bias: A Beginning by Jessica Nordell. It has been a few years since I have attended an unconscious bias training so this was a great refresher on the topic. The heart of the message is that we need to be aware when we are making decisions based on assumptions. By holding judgement, we can create spaces for other people to share their experiences and opportunities to expand our own knowledge and awareness of the world and communities around us.
Kari Henson, Director, Research and Development
Our first feature is Kari Henson, Director of Research & Development, interviewed by Claire Marasco, Associate Director of Global Regulatory Strategy.
Kari, share what you do at Forge and how you got to this point in your career?
I started my career in biologics and have always enjoyed working in start-ups. Smaller companies require you to take on multiple responsibilities and gain experience across many areas of the business. These foundational roles early in my career set the stage for my position at Forge. Here I have had the great opportunity to work across multiple departments with various teams. I started in Product Development, which is inherently a multi-faceted position working closely with Regulatory, Clinical, Quality, and Manufacturing in addition to multiple external organizations to help further our early-stage gene therapy programs. As our programs evolved over time, I was able to delve further into these different branches and have been able to contribute more deeply in each area. The cross-functionality of my role and being to work with so many different teams is my favorite part about what I do!
What inspired you to get into the work that you’re doing?
I knew from a young age that I loved science and wanted to be an engineer. This was in part inspired by my dad (an engineer) and by multiple science teachers I’ve had along the way. I was always encouraged to take the next step and further explore topics that interested me. This ultimately led me to biomedical engineering, and a path to find unique ways to understand and treat diseases.
What do you do or value outside of work that contributes to who you are at work?
By far, the biggest impact on who I am comes from my family. I am challenged everyday by my husband and kids to learn something new, push boundaries, and do something creative. We’ve explored everything from baking soda and vinegar volcanoes to DNA extraction from a strawberry (thanks She Forges!) and are constantly taking on new challenges.
What is the best leadership or professional advice you have ever received?
Make sure your voice is heard! I’m definitely more comfortable listening over speaking. But I had a mentor who pushed me to interact more. Her point was even if you’re not adding something revolutionary, engagement is important for growth; and you never know when your contribution will make a difference.
Who is your favorite female academic or pop culture icon, past or present, and why?
Katalin Karikó. Her work with RNA paved the way for safe and efficacious mRNA vaccines, including for COVID-19. Her story is a great example of how perseverance, the right team, and the drive to keep learning can lead to some pretty phenomenal outcomes.
