Editors’ Note

Emily Sheridan has been in her current role since March 2014. Prior to this, she was the Senior Director of Business Development for the firm. Before that, she was the Director of Development for City of Hope beginning in 2009, and had also acted as the Assistant Director of Development and Planned Giving and Major Gifts Coordinator. In addition, she has been an Events Manager for Bogart Pediatric Cancer Research Program, Junior Associate with Westhill Partners, and PR Assistant for SS+K. She graduated from Vassar College in 2001.

How do you describe your role within Alexandria?

I came onboard to initially work with Joel (Marcus, CEO) on the Alexandria Summit®. It was still in the conception phase and we needed to determine what it would mean for the company and for the broader life science community.

Our first high-level Alexandria Summit gathering brought in a diverse audience across the spectrum – pharma, biotech, academic medical centers, nonprofits, government regulatory agencies, etc. Everyone who has a perspective that will impact the process is at these meetings, discussing challenges and opportunities in each disease area on which we are focusing.

This was supposed to be an annual event but quickly grew beyond that, as we saw a real need for this within the life science community. Over the years, it has evolved into a premier gathering for people in the industry and we hold several sessions each year.

My role in strategic programming has grown and we now host a variety of meetings and events throughout the year, including follow-up Alexandria Summit Roundtables, VC/entrepreneur dinners, and life science book talks. We also host a quarterly lecture series on our New York City campus which showcases NYC life science thought leaders doing amazing work in their field. These series have become a resource for not only our tenant community but also the broad life science community.

Do these events tend to initiate a plan of action?

Yes. There is a significant amount of value. The community can be small and people may only know each other through name and reputation, and have never had a chance to talk with each other. We provide a think-tank retreat-like atmosphere that provides that opportunity.

Great connections can be made that foster collaborations and activities coming out of the meeting. We also take a purposeful approach in guiding some of that follow-up action. Following each meeting, we will review the transcripts and boil down the key issues, and then get a smaller working group together for a follow-up roundtable a few months after the meeting. This follow up allows us to further refine the issues and from there, we are able to identify what we can do as a group with the intellectual and human capital in the room.

What approach does Alexandria take to the thought leadership that fosters these larger discussions?

Alexandria’s thought leadership programming is about being a partner to the industry and providing platforms for collaboration that ultimately advance the industry.

Our core business is providing amazing buildings and facilities where science-minded individuals can work. We create incredible campus environments that drive productivity and collaboration – as I mentioned earlier, an important part of that environment is our thought leadership programming.

Beyond the campus, our goal is to help drive the industry forward. If the industry is healthy, it is a good thing for Alexandria and for human health worldwide.•