Speaker Information

Brittany Whitley
Director of Regional Workforce Strategy, BioSTL

Bio: As the Director of Regional Workforce Strategy, Brittany leads the development of evidence-based strategies to address regional gaps in career pathways, work-learn opportunities, credentialing, and supportive services. She oversees the implementation and scaling of core workforce initiatives like BIOTECH for MO and the Gateway Hub, driving new grant and partnership development to ensure sustainable growth. Additionally, Brittany builds and manages key strategic workforce relationships through her leadership of the Industry Workforce Collaborative and BioSTL Talent & Workforce team. 
Brittany joined BioSTL a year ago as Manager of Career Pathways, making an immediate impact through her management of the statewide BIOTECH training platform, building valuable partnerships to enabled regional pilots of biotechnology "boot camps" aligned to industry-validated credentials. Her ability to translate our workforce vision into compelling narratives has inspired both our team and partners. Always striving for improvement, Brittany continually seeks ways to enhance our approaches and drive greater impact. Her expertise in biomedical research, education, communication, and public policy provided valuable insights into education and workforce systems in Missouri, supporting industry growth and ensuring access to essential skills and quality employment opportunities.

Before joining BioSTL, Brittany served as Executive Director of MOST Policy Initiative, where she led the strategic growth of a Missouri-centered policy fellowship to train scientists in nonpartisan policy research and evidence-based decision-making. Brittany earned her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Washington- Seattle, with a concentration in Public Policy & Management. Prior to her dissertation research, she completed her B.S. in Neuroscience at Bucknell University and served for two years at NIH as a post-baccalaureate research fellow.