Marketing a BME Degree Panel Speakers

Lisa Waples
President, Strategic Recruitment Services LLC

Lisa Waples received her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering in 1987 and her M.S. in Macromolecular Science in 1988 both from Case Western Reserve University. She also received a M.S. in Materials Science in 1993 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Ms. Waples has 10+ years of experience in academic/industry relations having served as the Associate Chair and Director of Corporate Relations in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Marquette University. During her time at Marquette she developed and directed the Marquette undergraduate and graduate biomedical internship and co-op programs, Les Aspin FDA Internship Program, continuing education programs for industry, and established a Milwaukee networking event “Innovation Mondays”. Ms. Waples has served as an instructor on career development topics and has also been an invited speaker and panelist on topics addressing developing co-op/internship programs, career development, and networking. She has published several articles on biomaterials research and academic programs. Ms. Waples is a member of the Biomedical Engineering Society, Society for Biomaterials, Society for Women Engineers, Tau Beta Pi, and the Wisconsin Innovation Network. Ms. Waples founded Strategic Recruitment Services in 2006 to assist companies with college recruitment and academic relations.

Emily L. Breckenridge, Career Development Specialist
Career Management Center
Illinois Institute of Technology

Emily Breckenridge is a Career Development Specialist with the Career Management Center at Illinois Institute of Technology, a role in which she has worked since July, 2007. In this capacity, she assists a variety of majors, including Biomedical Engineering undergraduate and graduate students and alumni, in their career planning and management, and oversees all department marketing and communications. Prior to her role at Illinois Institute of Technology, she planned Networking Events, Workshops and Job & Internship Fairs for the Career Center at DePaul University, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English.

Graham Williamson, W. L. Gore & Associates

Graham Williamson is currently focused on leading Gore’s recruiting efforts within the Product Specialist, Clinical, Regulatory, Quality Assurance and Catheter technology functions of the Medical Products division. True to the Gore way of doing things, he has no official title and no direct or indirect reports; he is an associate, just like everyone else at Gore.

Much of Graham’s time is devoted to developing and improving Gore’s BME hiring and developing new relationships with talented individuals within the Medical community. At Gore we have leading innovative products and a unique workplace culture which has propelled us to be one of only four companies to consistently make the list of the "100 Best Companies to Work for in America" since that list first came out in 1984.

Graham will talk about ‘what is it really like to work for W.L.Gore’, some of the key values and beliefs that make a commitment at Gore a unique experience and what he looks for in future talent. Prior to relocating to the US, Graham worked for 10 years within Executive recruiting in Europe and holds a bachelors degree in Accounting and Management from Cardiff University.

Charla Triplett, President, BME Career Alliance

Ms. Triplett has over 12 years of experience working with scientists and engineers in the biomedical field, holds a B.S. in Microbiology and a M.S. in Bioengineering. She has an established reputation in the career development area of Biomedical Engineering with strong ties to academic institutions and professional societies. In addition, she has extensive connections within the medical device and biotechnology industry. Her background includes building several Biomedical Engineering Internship Programs and consulting with The Biomedical Engineering society. Charla currently serves as the President of the BME Career Alliance, a non-profit organization that helps connect biomedical engineering students with industry. She will discuss how to create a winning resume with a specific focus on the BME student, types biomedical companies that hire BMEs, careers that biomedical engineers pursue, and how to market the BME degree and skills.