Q: What are your responsibilities at Luminex?

A: I’m responsible for leading global initiatives within Manufacturing and Quality Assurance. We have expanded manufacturing sites in multiple states and Canada, so the landscape of the opportunities I am involved in is broad, covering many different products, chemistries, and systems. My job is to see the big picture, identify issues before they become issues, and resolve these issues on a daily basis. In Manufacturing, there is never a dull moment. I’m not somebody who likes doing the same thing all the time, so this is a great fit for me.

Q: What did you do before this job?

A: I’ve held a number of different roles, mostly in Manufacturing Operations, in my time at Luminex. I started out working on microsphere bead dying and dye synthesis. In 2008, I began working on one of the first assays we designed and manufactured at the Austin site. That role opened up a lot of doors for me here. With my broad background, I have the agility to fill in gaps and respond quickly to operational needs.

Q: What drew you to Luminex?

A: I stumbled upon it by chance. It was shortly after I graduated, and I wanted to utilize my degree while I was in the process of applying to medical school. This was in the 2008 recession, when there were virtually no biotech jobs in the city of Austin. I eventually landed a position at Luminex, and I realized I could have a real impact on healthcare without working directly with patients and decided not to go to medical school after all.

Q: If you could solve any clinical or genetic challenge, what would it be?

A: If I could cure anything in this world, it would be cancer. I lost my little brother Richard to cancer when I was in high school. He was diagnosed at the age of 8. Watching him go through that and spending so much time in the hospital really changed my life. Today, I am a registered bone marrow donor. I make sure to stay up-to-date on my registration and hope that one day I will actually get a call and have the opportunity to save someone’s life.

Q: If you weren’t a project manager at Luminex, where would you be??

A: If I weren’t in the sciences, I could see myself doing something that incorporates my love for travel, like opening a tour guide company, a hostel, or a bed and breakfast. I bought a piece of land on an island in Belize a few years ago. Some days, I dream of selling everything and buying a one-way ticket to go off and explore the world.

Q: How are you handling not being able to travel with the COVID-19 pandemic?

A: I’m going crazy not traveling! I have used two vacation days all year. By this point in the year, I would normally have been to Belize at least three times, and I would have visited a new country.

Q: What is something about you that no one at Luminex knows?

A: Most people don’t know that I worked as a Sonic carhop. That was my first job at age 15 and I kept it for years to put myself through college. Yes, I did wear roller skates and no, I never fell. At first I didn’t know how to use the brakes very well, so I had to do circles in the parking lot to slow down.

Q: What is your favorite thing to do in Austin on the weekend?

A: I love live music. You can often find me at a local dive bar, like the jazz/blues club right by my house. But I also really enjoy being at home with my two cats, my Doberman pinscher pup, and the six chickens that I have in my backyard.