Plant pathologist · Innovation partnerships, NC State

Hi, I'm Kathleen.

I'm a plant pathologist turned partnership builder. I direct innovation partnerships at the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative at NC State, helping researchers turn lab work into real companies. I grew up in Syracuse, wrote my Ph.D. on mummy berry disease in blueberries, and spent years in early R&D at Bayer and BASF before jumping to biotech startups. Off the clock, I'm with my family — at the pottery wheel, cooking something, on a pickleball court, or planning the next trip.