Have questions? We’re here to help. Our staff and board members volunteer their time to make a difference in our community. Please contact us at info@lifehrn.com to learn about the benefits offered and how you can become a part of our growing Life Sciences Human Resources Professional Association in Southern California.

LifeHR Board of Directors

President

Aimee Hutman

Aimee is currently an HR Business Partner with Greenwich Biosciences, now a part of Jazz 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.

Vice President

Allison Lewis

Allison Lewis serves as Vice President, Human Resources 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).

Treasurer

Kelly Kennerly

Kelly is the Executive Director, 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. She is currently an HR Consultant at Synthetic Genomics.

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

Donna Rainwater

Donna is currently an Associate Director, HR at Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. She has been in HR since 2002 as a generalist, with a focus on L&D, Career Development and Compensation.

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 Senior HR Manager 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 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 Manager, HR Operations at Neurocrine Biosciences.

Technical Partners

LifeHR Web | Community Architect

Victoria Tucker, M.A.

Victoria is the Workforce Architect and Managing Director of ZBglobal, a team of thinkers and makers who apply behavioral science and technology to work smarter via digital solutions that drive business performance. Victoria has more than three decades of experience as a workplace behavioral scientist designing f2f and digital experiences primarily for life science organizations.