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President

Allison Lewis

Allison Lewis serves as Senior Vice President, People and Culture at Cidara Therapeutics. She has over 15 years of diverse Human Resources experience primarily in the life sciences industry, across all stages of development and commercialization. Allison received her bachelor’s degree in Business from University of Florida and holds designations as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), and a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP).

Vice President

Aimee Hutman

Aimee is currently a Director, HR Business Partner at Agios Pharmaceuticals.  Aimee has 13+ years HR experience working for biotechs in multiple and progressive roles. Aimee holds an MBA from Cal State San Marcos as well as HR certifications including PHR, SHRM-CP and is working towards her CCP.

Treasurer

Kelly Cannan

Kelly is the Vice President, Human Resources at Kura Oncology and is proud to have worked in the life sciences industry for 9 years. Kelly has 20 years of general HR experience and is based in San Diego, CA.

Secretary

Mary Lucena

Mary has been working in the HR capacity for 20 years with 10 years in the biotech / pharmaceutical industry. 

Membership Co-Chair

Laura Featherstone

Membership Co-Chair

Linda Sierra

Linda is an SVP with Bench International. The oldest, woman-owned, life sciences, executive search firm in the country. With a background in Human Resources, she spent 18 years in the biotechnology industry in San Diego and San Francisco and the last 11 in executive search. Linda splits her time between San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Membership Co-Chair

Amy Bergen

Amy is currently the Vice President of Business Development for The Leadership Edge, and advises leaders, managers, and teams on how to remove barriers to success and accelerate their performance.

Programs Co-Chair

Allison Hernandez

Allison Hernandez is the Associate Director, Human Resources at Kura Oncology in San Diego. She has over 15 years of progressive experience within HR in the tech and life sciences space. Allison holds a designation as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and has served on the LifeHR Board since 2016.

Programs Co-Chair

Teresa McCarthy

Teresa McCarthy serves as Chief Human Resources Officer at Avidity Biosciences. With over 30 years of experience in Human Resources, Teresa is responsible for supporting Avidity’s strategic direction by developing and executing on human resource strategies. She is also responsible for leading Avidity’s Alliance Management and Program Management activities.

Communications Chair

Hypatia Tong

Hypatia brings more than 5 years of experience in HR – from recruitment to general functions.  She is currently the Compensation and Benefits Manager at Crinetics Pharmaceuticals.

Compensation Co-Chair

Steven Beck

Steven has over 20 years of Business Operations and HR experience in the Life Sciences/Pharmaceutical industry working in a variety of HR functions from HR Business Partner, Generalist, and Talent Acquisition and currently serves as the Senior Human Resources Manager at Neurocrine Biosciences.

Compensation Co-Chair

Gina Snyder