Dr. Burnette is the Director of Alliance Biosciences, which was formed to address the specific needs of the bioscience research community, providing a full range of engineering services for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, biological process scale-up, and assistance to companies, academic institutions and government agencies with biosafety plans, reviews and audits, recommendations and operational compliance. Dr. Burnette consults as a scientist and Project Manager on full-discipline engineering projects for medical testing and biotechnology companies in the Mid-Atlantic region, as well as the design and implementation of biosafety operations and audit programs. Dr. Burnette has extensive expertise with regard to biosafety compliance issues, drawing both from his own microbiological bench research experience and his extensive contact and familiarity with the CDC’s Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories and the NIH Design Policy and Guidelines, as well as other pertinent regulatory policies.

Dr. Burnette received his B.S. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Virginia Tech, where he was also a faculty instructor and researcher. Prior to joining Alliance Biosciences, he was a biomedical researcher in the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Dr. Burnette regularly lectures on biotechnology issues to a variety of audiences, and provides strategies for promoting bioscience initiatives at the local, State and Federal levels and has published a number of scientific articles ranging from plant biotechnology to diabetes.

As a nationally known and respected biological safety expert, Ms. Thompson has consulted for numerous industry, private and public health clients on biosafety program management, work practices and facility design. She has instructed government laboratories, industry and academia on the safe transport of infectious and biological substances (IATA & DOT). Ms. Thompson has 15 years of biosafety experience, including corporate biosafety management at Eli Lilly and Company as the corporate biosafety officer from 1993-2003. There she was responsible for the implementation and maintenance of a biosafety program that spanned 1,000 employees in R&D, clinical research, emergency response and maintenance in non-research areas.

As a scientist, Christina has worked in the fields of microbiology and genetic toxicology, as well as quality assurance and MSDS development. She is the recipient of a B.S. and M.S. in microbiology from the University of Oklahoma, and is currently a Registered Biosafety Professional (RBP) and a Certified Biological Safety Professional (CBSP). Christina has been active in the American Biological Safety Association in a number of positions, and currently serves as the President of ABSA for 2008. Ms. Thompson has given many presentations and instructed classes related to biological safety.

Dr. Richmond has had a distinguished career as a biological safety expert for more than 30 years. He currently served as a consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO), and was previously the Director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Applied Biosafety and Training. He has had numerous important roles, including the Director for the Office of Health and Safety for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Chief of the Safety Operations Section, Occupational Safety and Health Branch for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Division of Safety, the Biological Safety Officer at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center for the USDA and others. Dr. Richmond has consulted on many high-containment laboratory projects for private, academic and government institutions in the U.S. and countries around the world, providing design guidance, facility commissioning and training.

Dr. Richmond received his Ph.D. in genetics from Hahnermann University in 1967, his M.S. in genetics from the University of Connecticut in 1964 and is recognized by the American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) as a Registered Biosafety Professional (RBP). He is the co-editor of the 3rd & 4th editions of the CDC/NIH publication Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL), a contributing editor to the 5th edition of the BMBL, and is a contributing editor to the WHO’s Laboratory Biosafety Manual. He is the editor of ABSA’s Anthology of Biosafety series and has authored numerous scientific publications.

To learn more about Dr. Richmond: www.bsafe.us

Ms. Downing’s career as a microbiologist and biosafety expert has spanned 30 years in academia and private industry. Ms. Downing served as the Biosafety Officer for Abbott Laboratories for 15 years, which encompassed the implementation of a biosafety program for all Lake County organizations of nearly 2,000 employees. She was also responsible for 9 international sites. In total, Ms. Downing was responsible for all training, database management, biosafety capital projects, surveillance programs and infectious agent inventory. As a consultant for the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX, Ms. Downing devised and delivered training to students, staff and researchers for BSL2/3 operations, and infectious agents. Ms. Downing has also worked as a researcher at the Louisiana State University, School of Veterinary Medicine in Baton Rouge, LA and the Illinois Department of Public Health. Since joining Alliance Biosciences, Ms. Downing has been on-site at Albert Einstein College of Medicine providing outsourced biosafety program management to nearly 400 labs.

Ms. Downing received her B.S. in bacteriology from Rutgers University, and is recognized by the Amercian Biological Safety Association as both a Registered Biosafety Professional and a Certified Biological Safety Professional. In addition, Ms. Downing continues to train as an external consultant for Loyola University School of Nursing on an annual basis.

Dr. Malcolm Barth is an Institutional Review Board (IRB) and an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocol, regulatory and compliance specialist, with expertise in biosafety compliance. As a research scientist, instructor and compliance manager, Dr. Barth has over 20 years of experience in the regulatory and compliance sectors of academic and corporate life sciences.

Dr. Barth is a Senior Human Research Protection Analyst with Analytic Services, Inc. and was previously the Oversight and Monitoring Coordinator for Alion Science and Technology Corporation. Dr. Barth has served as the IRB Program Specialist at the University of Southern California, following a position as the GLP Laboratory Manager at the Alfred E. Mann Institute in Los Angeles, CA. He oversaw all IRB and IACUC duties and functions, including chairing the Institutional Biosafety Committee at Loyola University, Chicago, as well as being an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Biology at Loyola University.

Dr. Barth received his Ph.D. in cancer immunology at the Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1994, following an M.S. degree in medical microbiology from the University of Manitoba in 1982. He also has an M.S. in regulatory science from the University of Southern California in 2004. Dr. Barth received his B.S. in biology from the University of Winnipeg in 1980. Dr. Barth is a member of the American Biological Safety Association, and an editorial reviewer for the Journal of Applied Biosafety.

Mr. Herd has over twenty-five years of experience in HVAC and mechanical engineering including design, project scope definition, field inspections, cost analysis, energy studies and construction management. As the lead biocontainment mechanical engineer, Mr. Herd has led design efforts on multiple high-profile biocontainment design projects, including the design of all mechanical/HVAC systems and components on a mixed-category (BSL2, BSL3, ABSL2, ABSL3, BSL3-Ag) large-animal laboratory- including the incorporation of multiple guidelines, U.S. and others. In addition to leading design efforts, Mr. Herd has consulted with multiple laboratories to trouble-shoot unforeseen HVAC issues common to biocontainment labs. He was also selected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assist a team with HIV/TB laboratory engineering evaluations in several developing African countries. Further, Mr. Herd has been on the leading edge of several facility verification and commissioning projects-including the nation’s first BSL3 autopsy lab.

Mr. Herd is well-versed in multiple biocontainment and biosafety guidelines, including Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories, 5th Ed. (BMBL), Australia-New Zealand (AS-NZS) Biosafety Guidelines, and the USDA ARS 242.1 laboratory standard. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Pennsylvania State University in 1983, and is registered as a professional engineer in six states.

Dr. Hawley is easily one of the most recognized and respected authorities in biological safety. With decades of experience, Dr. Hawley has provided expertise to countless clients, Federal agencies, domestic and foreign governments, spanning issues of biological safety, public health and microbiological research. He has held numerous positions, such as a Safety and Occupational Health Specialist and eventually the Chief, Safety and Radiation Protection Division, at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), and served as the Command Biological Safety Officer for the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command. In addition, Dr. Hawley has served as a consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Homeland Security. He is also a member of several response teams, including the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) Inspection Team, in Baghdad, Iraq and the Defense Science Board Task Force on Defense Against Terrorist Use of Biological Weapons to the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Dr. Hawley is the recipient of a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, an M.S. in Microbiology from Catholic University of America and a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Pennsylvania Military College. Dr. Hawley is recognized as both a Registered Biosafety Professional (RBP) and a Certified Biological Safety Professional (CBSP), and served as the President of ABSA from 2006-2007. Previously, he was also the President of the Chesapeake Affiliate of ABSA.

Ms. Hess is a Project Manager with Alliance Biosciences, providing oversight to client relations, government contracts and development bank initiatives. She targets State and Federal government, tertiary education, private and international project opportunities, and develops strategic action plans for project procurement. Ms. Hess is an integral part to proposal development and preparation, providing specialized oversight for government compliance. As an active member of the Virginia Biotechnology and Chesapeake Area Biological Safety Associations, she is consistently engaged in the bioscience and biosafety communities.

Ms. Hess received her B.S. degree in Biology and M.S. degree in Biochemistry from Virginia Tech, where she developed extensive Molecular Biology research experience. While at Virginia Tech, Ms. Hess was leader in the College of Agriculture as a research and Kids’ Tech University mentor, and routinely provided lectures on Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, with emphasis on gene expression, protein purification, and protein stability. Notably, she was an instructor and coordinator for a Biotechnology Outreach Program, aiming to educate high school teachers and students on cutting edge Biotechnology techniques and to translate such technologies into existing high school programs.