Jennie Starr, JD, MA
Communications
Operations

Experience

I practiced law, led sales and product teams for high-tech companies, managed through growth and in some cases acquisition. I founded a company and managed operations including human resources, internal communications, contracts, policies and procedures, training, insurance, board management, corporate filings and governance.  I am currently the Director of Marketing for BioForm Solutions, a San Diego-based CRO providing lab services for the analysis of probiotics and other microbial-based products for the human health and nutrition segment.

A Passion for Life Sciences & High-Tech

Much of my career has been working with companies who offer a way to mine large data sets using artificial intelligence, search engines and data mining tools. In life science this translates to gene sequencing and data analytics as applied to research and development of new treatments and therapeutics.  I am passionate about supporting scientists and technologists working to cure disease and improve the human condition and am inspired to leverage my experience to support life science companies working to safely accelerate clinical trials and identify the treatments and therapeutics most likely to succeed.

Education
BioTech, IP Licensing and Technology Commercialization, San Diego State University
JD, Law, Washington University School of Law
MS, Information Science, University of Illinois
BA, Political Science, Northwestern University

Boards/Committees/Organizations

Chapter Chair, Women in Bio (WIB) Southern California
Chair, Women in Bio (WIB) – MAPS, Mentors, Advisors and Peers group, Southern California
National Chair, Women in Bio (WIB) – eMAPS professional development for executives

Accomplishments/Awards

• Client Counseling Competition Finalist and Regional Competitor & Order of Barristers Recognized for excellence in the ability to interview, counsel, and support clients, build rapport, determine client goals, and consider applicable law and options available. Also recognized for the art of courtroom advocacy.

• Sales Excellence Awards  Multi-year Lexis-Nexis President’s Club winner. I also received the Circle of Excellence Award twice and was the recipient of the Midwest Region award for new business and exceeding revenue goals.

• Slingshot Guide  Recognized for three years in this annual compilation of the most inspiring and innovative organizations, projects, and programs in the North American Jewish community for nonprofit work with Tarbuton & Startup18. Slingshot has a competitive application and review process. The Guide is sent to foundations which helps nonprofits secure funding.

Goals for my Teams

I nurture environments that facilitate and encourage the sharing of ideas, where mistakes can be made, and forgiven, but lessons learned inform next steps. I look for ways to empower people and inspire them to achieve and innovate.

My Professional Path

I went from very structured legal work to the rapid pace and creative high tech startup environment. Practicing law gave me the skills to draft contracts and negotiate, i.e. support a business. Eager to learn more from the inside I transitioned to product management, where I found I spent a lot of my time improving communication and putting procedures in place to help companies work better.

I established product enhancement request processes so we could get them in the pipeline without throwing off product schedules. I created product documentation templates to ensure customer support and sales teams knew what was being built.  I built training programs so everyone knew what the documentation meant. I drafted SOWs to make sure roles and responsibilities were clear and nothing was left to ambiguity.  I put NDAs in place to safeguard intellectual property during discussions.

In short, I became very good at putting just enough process in place to increase productivity without impeding innovation.