Hi!

At our Philly meetup earlier this week, someone asked what a typical day looks like for Michelle and me.

My answer? We spend A LOT of time with our ears to the ground, talking to the members of this community. And then we spend even more time building the infrastructure that makes our programming possible. We brainstorm and refine topics, identify the most relevant voices, and find creative ways to bring those back to the community.

Our first-ever Ticket to Biotech Virtual Forum: The Ripple Effect, which is slated for September 18, 2025, is the result of this work.

Here’s the full lineup:

☕ Welcome Remarks/Kickoff (10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT)

• Michelle Benz, Head of Professional Development, Ticket to Biotech
• Lynnea Olivarez, Founder, Ticket to Biotech

🎤 Opening Keynote: Speaking Truth to Power Isn’t the Risk as a Communicator—Silence Is (10:15 a.m. ET/7:15 a.m. PT)

• Angela Vasquez-Giroux, VP of Communications, Planned Parenthood Federation of America & Planned Parenthood Action Fund

💬 Panel Session—Making Communication Calls When Everything is Political (11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT)

• Rose Weldon, SVP & Head of Corporate Affairs, Cullinan Therapeutics
• Shreya Jani, SVP, Public Affairs, Gilead
• Julie Tierney, Principal, Leavitt Partners
• Moderator: Erica Jefferson, Foundation Board Member, Alliance for mRNA Medicines

🧠 AI Workshop: AI Can Do THAT? A Communications Transformation (Noon ET/9 a.m. PT)

• Nicole Leffer, CMO AI Advisor, A. Catalyst, LLC

🔍 Panel Session—360 Review: What They Say When You're Not in the Room (1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT)

• Ruth du Moulin, PhD, SVP Medical Affairs, Xilio Therapeutics
• Nishla Keiser, Partner, Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP
• Elizabeth Alessi, VP, Regulatory Affairs, Medical Writing & Pharmacovigilance, Inozyme Pharma
• Moderator: Ken Inchausti, Director, R&D and Global Medical Communications, ViiV Healthcare

📊 Case Study—Own Your Space: Strategic Leadership for Communications Executives (2:15 p.m. ET/11:15 a.m. PT)

• Johnny Smith Jr., Global Head of Communications, Roche Diagnostics
• Michelle Benz, Head of Professional Development, Ticket to Biotech

⚡ The Future of Comms Resourcing Is Fluid, Fractional, and AI-Powered (3 p.m. ET/noon PT)

• Arleen Goldenberg, VP, Corporate Communications, Replimune
• Michalina Brokos, Netherlands Director, PR & Communications Manager, Maneuvre
• Natalie Moran, Founder, Comms Futurist
• Moderator: Lynnea Olivarez, Founder, Ticket to Biotech

🌱 Closing Keynote: Thriving in a World of Change (3:45 p.m. ET/12:45 pm PT)

• Andrew Blotky, JD, PCC, Author; Executive Coach; Operating Advisor, Bessemer Venture Partners; Founder & CEO, Azure Leadership Group

🥂 Closing Remarks (4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT)

• Michelle Benz
• Lynnea Olivarez

How to register:

T2B Pro and Student members: Log into your T2B account to get your promo code here.

Basic members can purchase a ticket here for $275.

We know how busy you all are, and we encourage you to drop in and out of the conversations throughout the day. (But please note – this is a live only event, and sessions will not be recorded!)

“The Ripple Effect” forum theme refers to the influence we as communicators can have on our organizations and beyond. We hope you’ll join us live on September 18th to be part of these conversations and spark new ripples of your own.

See you at the forum!

Lynnea

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