As the Director of Workforce Development at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, I am responsible for building a pipeline of activities and learning opportunities to support workforce needs for the fields of genetics, genomics, and biotechnology. I am a graduate of Winthrop University and the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), where I am currently pursuing a doctorate in Biotechnology Science and Engineering, with a specific focus on science education for undergraduate students. I have been with HudsonAlpha since 2009, working with high school and post-secondary students in different capacities. Currently, my team directs the BioTrain Summer Internship program, the Biotech Academy for high school students, a lab and a research skills course for undergraduates and other programs. All these programs are designed to inspire and motivate students to pursue careers in science and persist in their efforts to achieve that goal.