October 12, 2021 (CAMBRIDGE, MA) – The Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio®) is proud to announce that it has hired two experts in the field of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to lead the organization’s expanded DEI team. In these roles, Warner Santiago, Senior Director of DEI and Workforce Development; and Ross Marshall, Senior Director of DEI Advisory, will enable MassBio to further its DEI initiative, provide members with the resources necessary to launch and scale their DEI work, and offer strategic consulting.
Prior to joining MassBio, Warner served as Associate Director for Diversity, Inclusion, and Title IX at Harvard Law School, where he worked closely with leaders across constituencies, staff, students, and alumni, to extend and support their efforts to ensure the rights, dignity, and differences of all were both respected and celebrated. In his new role, he will take the lead on our traditional DEI suite of member services and work to expand upon MassBio’s workforce development initiative.
“To truly achieve equity and enact lasting change, DEI initiatives must come from the top-down, but oftentimes companies don’t know how or where to start,” said Warner Santiago, Senior Director of DEI and Workforce Development, MassBio. “I am honored to join MassBio and work directly with the organization’s vast membership to not only help them take the first step but to also improve DEI across the industry and help develop a more diverse talent pipeline that reflects the patient populations we serve.”
To strengthen MassBio’s abilities in serving its membership, Ross Marshall will serve in a newly created role focused on providing next-level DEI strategic consulting. These advisory services will be custom-tailored to each member’s needs and will be provided at below-market rates as a value of membership. Ross brings a wealth of experience to this role, having previously served as the founding partner of his own DEI consulting practice, DEI Partners.
“I am very excited to join the MassBio team at such a pivotal time in the industry’s journey to become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive,” said Ross Marshall, Senior Director of DEI Advisory. “While we’ve started to see progress, every company demands its own approach and there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to DEI. I look forward to navigating this landscape one-on-one with MassBio’s members and offering a brand new service to ensure each member has the opportunity to receive best-in-class DEI consulting that will help them achieve their individual goals.”
MassBio is committed to build and strengthen DEI across the life sciences industry. Through this newly formed team, the organization will work one-on-one with members, executive leadership, and stakeholders to develop and circulate more DEI resources critical to improving DEI at all levels.
“To solve the most complicated unmet medical needs, we need the best and brightest minds from around the world working to develop the next greatest breakthrough treatment,” said Joe Boncore, MassBio’s CEO. “Ensuring our member companies have the necessary tools and resources to successfully launch and scale DEI initiatives will lead to a more diverse workforce and ultimately lead to better therapies and cures for all patients.”
You can learn more about Warner Santiago’s background here and Ross Marshall’s here.
If you’re interested in meeting with Warner and Ross to learn more about how MassBio can help you and your organization, please email diversity@massbio.org.