Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Valerie Smith of Faze Medicines On The 5 Leadership Lessons She Learned From Her Experience
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Find your “Why.” Many people think of this as “find your passion,” but I believe it’s more than just working at a job that you are passionate about. It’s understanding what drives you to wake up and be excited about going to work. It’s the extra motivation to stay late or work harder because you know it’ll positively impact the outcome of what you are trying to deliver/achieve.
As a part of my series about “Lessons From Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Valerie Smith.
Valerie Smith serves as the Head of IT and Facilities for Faze Medicines, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotechnology company pioneering therapeutics based on the groundbreaking new science of biomolecular condensates. Bringing more than 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry to the company, her responsibilities include setting the strategy and direction for the IT and Informatics capabilities and enhancing the efficiency and operational effectiveness of the site and laboratory management. Prior to joining Faze, Valerie led the Research & Development IT team at Alkermes where she was responsible for over 300 scientific systems from early research to validation batches in development. Valerie lives with her husband, son, daughter and two dogs in Southern Massachusetts.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I majored in chemistry and felt a strong calling to work in a field where I could positively impact patients’ lives. For me, this translated to becoming a medicinal chemist so I could work to identify molecules that could one day become drugs.
At the same time, I have always enjoyed technology and the problem-solving aspect of IT. I was thrilled to discover a world of technology that could support scientific efforts towards drug discovery. My current role is the perfect marriage of following my passions for IT and technology while still supporting the delivery of drugs to patients.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began at your company?
One of the most interesting and fun days I had recently was while working on our team’s space expansion project. We were invited to our design company’s showroom and were able to interact with different office layouts and potential design pieces to figure out what would work best for our team. It was a lot of fun and was extremely helpful in decision making. This is an area that I don’t have much experience in, so it was great to be able to branch out my skill set and participate in something new.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I accidentally parked 10 blocks away from the office on my first day at Faze. After not being in Cambridge for 10+ years I hadn’t realized how much everything had changed. It’s a good reminder to always doublecheck all the details before you head out the door.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Faze is filled with scientists that are deeply committed to unlocking the potential behind condensate biology in targeting diseases. The challenge of this biology draws some of the most curious minds and committed scientists that I have had the privilege of working with. This trait, coupled with the overwhelming comradery and inclusiveness is what drew me to the company.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
In the IT arena, we are excited about creating a highly robust imaging analysis pipeline. This should provide us with an efficiency advantage within the drug development industry as we target condensates in new therapeutic indications. Success in this area could be transformational as condensates provide a unique mechanism of action to target intractable diseases.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Are you currently satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM? What specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?
I’m so excited by the strides that have been made over the last 15+ years that I’ve been in this industry, but there is always more that can be done to level the playing field. Despite our advancements, there are still unconscious biases and stereotypes that must be addressed. I also think that it is critical to sponsor and support women in the STEM and technology fields. When I first started my career, there were not many women in leadership positions. I am thrilled to work at Faze where more than half of the leadership team is comprised of women.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women in STEM or Tech that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts? What would you suggest to address this?
To answer this question, I’d like to share a story. My husband is a highly capable and incredibly intelligent individual. He is a top performer at his job within a successful biotech company.
At home, I have historically been the “leader” of our family. However, despite knowing the competency of my husband, I do not delegate to him the way I do at work with my professional team. At home, I have adopted the micromanager’s tendency to do it myself to get things done the way I want them to be done. I often find myself placing heavy burdens on myself because of this habit. I would advise any woman working in a dual income household to delegate to your partner the same way you delegate to your team. The same actions that led to success at work will also lead to a balanced home life.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a woman in STEM or Tech. Can you explain what you mean?
There are many stereotypes of women in the workplace that we need to overcome. In general, women are often described with negative adjectives if they come across as demanding in the workplace, their careers can be seen as less important than their husbands’ and they are often expected to have “feminine” qualities that make them more nurturing and better at communicating.
What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience as a Woman in STEM or Tech” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
Challenge yourself. Don’t wait for other people to challenge you or give you opportunities. Continue to grow your skill set and increase your domain knowledge so that you can be the expert in the room.
Pay attention to the business drivers. Identify a need or issue that needs resolution and think of how you can help impact a positive outcome.
Be open to constructive criticism. There will always be ways to improve your professional and personal skill set. Sometimes this feedback is delivered in a way that can make you reluctant to listen. Guard against that instinct and try to take the feedback that is given to heart so you can continue to improve.
Be empathetic. Everyone will remember working for a fair and kind manager more than they will remember the project that delivered smoothly or was behind on the timeline. So much time is spent at work that you want to ensure your team has a supportive environment to be productive in.
Find your “Why.” Many people think of this as “find your passion,” but I believe it’s more than just working at a job that you are passionate about. It’s understanding what drives you to wake up and be excited about going to work. It’s the extra motivation to stay late or work harder because you know it’ll positively impact the outcome of what you are trying to deliver/achieve.
What advice would you give to other women leaders to help their team to thrive?
Embrace the individuality that each person on the team brings to the collective group. This diverse way of thinking and interacting with the world can make a work team even more effective when nourished and supported.
What advice would you give to other women leaders about the best way to manage a large team?
Delegate, delegate, delegate….and then check in constantly. I am always excited to hear about the progress our team makes or the challenges they are facing. I reach out often to just chat about how things are going and see if there is an area that I can help with. Make sure you approach your check-ins with curiosity and not the intent to micromanage.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Scott Wilkins took a chance on me when I was a medicinal chemist with an interest in technology. Without his sponsorship I would not have pivoted my career to the IT arena. His continuing mentorship and leadership by example have served as guides as I have progressed in my career.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
One area that I am passionate about is mentorship. Whether it is mentoring people on my team or outside of it, I really embrace the activity of giving back, especially to more junior individuals. I have had many amazing mentors throughout my career and would not have been as successful without their guidance.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would love to be involved in creating a life science technology platform that offers plug and play capabilities for small biotechs. Technology is critically important to a company’s day-to-day activities and basic infrastructure capabilities should be standard across the board. Establishing an open-source roadmap or blueprint would allow each company to start on equal footing and focus on facilitating the science instead of reinventing the IT environment. It would also allow for a strong foundation to creating the proprietary technology that sets companies apart in this field today.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
Wayne Gretzky
As a lifelong athlete, this quote has been very inspirational to me throughout my career. There have been multiple instances where I may not have felt as qualified or ready for the next step in my career, but I didn’t let my uncertainty or fear prevent me from trying. By working hard and paying attention to details, I have able to get up to speed quickly and excel in new environments.
We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I’d love to meet Michelle McKenna-Doyle. For those that don’t know, she is the CIO of the National Football League (NFL). I’m so impressed by what she has achieved in a typically male-dominated area. I’d be interested to speak with her about how she got to where she is and what challenges she faced along the way. I’d also love to hear her “why” and what she loves best about her job.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Valerie Smith of Faze Medicines On The 5 Leadership Lessons… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.