Leadership Team

BioMARC’s Leadership Team is dedicated to the commercialization and manufacturing of biologics.

Each member of the Leadership Team plays a vital role in the completion of the Product Life Cycle, whether it be by directly working in the labs with the products, or working with the client. The Leadership Team is responsible for the functionality of the company by working with clients and by managing each of BioMARC’s departments to ensure efficiency and completion of the substance through the Product Life Cycle.

Director of BioMARC

Darragh Heaslip has over 20 years of experience in high containment BSL-2 and BSL-3 and select agent handling and is BioMARC’s biosafety liaison with Colorado State University. Additionally, he has over 11 years of leadership experience in the Biopharmaceutical industry, including Process and Analytical Development, Technology Transfer, Quality Control and Biologics Manufacturing. He has extensive experience leading technology transfer and/or development of assays ranging from cell culture and molecular biology techniques to chromatography and protein characterization and purification methods including whole virions. He also has experience working with the VEE VRP vaccine platform. He has developed, verified, and conducted assays for both GLP and cGMP use. In addition, Darragh provides technical oversight for new assays being transitioned into the Quality Control group for use during in-process or release testing of cGMP materials. His responsibility includes the training and transitioning of processes and methods to the GMP production teams, when needed.

Darragn Heaslip, Manufacturing and Product Development Manager of BioMARC

Head of Project Management

Joanna Ellinghuysen has been in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry since 1995 and has been in a project management role since 2011. She has extensive experience with pharmaceutical manufacturing and development projects at all phases of development; discovery, pre-clinical, clinical, to commercial. Her experience includes leadership roles in and successful completion of 2 regulatory pre-approval inspections, multiple cGMP regulatory inspections, as well as, numerous clinical and pre-clinical projects. In addition, she has managed and/or been a key resource for 4 plant start-ups from construction to commissioning through GMP production. She has worked with multiple product types (small molecules, peptides, and biologics) across a variety of manufacturing phases including bulk API, bulk drug substance, and final drug product. Prior to her project management roles, Joanna led manufacturing teams to create GMP programs and deliver products from phase 1 though commercial manufacturing for bulk production to sterile fill finish operations. She has a BS in Biology, and has been certified as a Six Sigma Lean Green Belt by Aveta Business Institute.

Joanna Ellinghuysen

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Head of Quality

Amber Miller is the Head of Quality for the CSU Infectious Disease Research Center and BioMARC, with over 13 years of Quality Assurance in the high containment biopharmaceutical industry, including sterile injectable vaccines. Amber is responsible for the design and implementation of policies and procedures to ensure Quality Assurance and Quality Control standards are met during production and testing of biologics. Amber has extensive experience in early-phase cGMP Quality Management Systems, document control, and leading compliance with FDA regulation and guidance. Amber ensures that deviations and out of specifications are appropriately investigated and drives continuous improvement in all quality systems. Her experience includes serving as the Quality Assurance subject matter expert for FDA cGMP inspections, hosting client auditors, and performing audits of quality management systems and procedures. Amber is a Certified Quality Auditor, accredited by ASQ.

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Analytical and Process Development Manager

Nicole Kruh-Garcia

Sandy Brown

Business & Research Project Manager

Sandy Brown is the Business & Research Project Manager for both BioMARC and the CSU Infectious Disease Research Center (which BioMARC is a part of). As such, Sandy handles customer relations, contract management and marketing. She is the bridge between our customers and the diverse departments within BioMARC, maintaining customer relations and negotiating business proposals, budgets and contracts. Sandy is responsible for creating and maintaining the company website and promoting BioMARC and CSU at industry functions. Sandy also is the department Account Manager and is responsible for managing the various budgets within the IDRC. She has extensive experience coordinating projects, leading multi-disciplined teams through the Product Life Cycle, working under cGMPs, managing inventory for production and customer sales, and developing and maintaining communication channels between departments. Sandy has a BS Degree in Business Administration (concentrations in both Management and Marketing) from Colorado State University, an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Accounting from Front Range Community College, a Six Sigma Green Belt Certification, and a Certification in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM).