At KLSC, our Industry Steering Committee drives our high-level strategy with help from our Core Partners. Our Action Teams execute tailored action plans to advance our strategy.
The Industry Steering Committee
The Industry Steering Committee is a group of life sciences leaders dedicated to advancing the mission of the Keystone LifeSci Collaborative by expanding engagement across the sector, serving as expert advisors, and advocating for resources and support. As catalysts for continuous improvement, committee members champion initiatives, foster collaboration, mobilize resources, and hold KLSC accountable to its mission. These companies operate across a range of life sciences sectors, including cell and gene therapy, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology.
The Industry Steering Committee is comprised of representatives from:
- Integral Molecular
- Iovance Biotherapeutics
- Lampire Biological Laboratories
- Harmony Biosciences
- Rockland Immunochemicals, Inc.
Action Teams
Each of these teams comprises industry leaders and focuses on advancing a goal that our members have identified as being important to achieving KLSC’s mission. Interested in joining an Action Team?
Awareness Action Team
The goal of this Action Team is to centralize and streamline resources for life sciences career awareness across Southeastern Pennsylvania to inform and inspire students.
Business-to-Business Action Team
The goal of this Action Team is to foster cross-business collaboration to build a stronger and more efficient life sciences community.
Policy Action Team
The goal of this Action Team is to unite Keystone LifeSci Collaborative members to amplify the voices of Southeastern Pennsylvania life sciences companies and influence policy that supports economic development and job growth.
Professional Action Team
The goal of this Action Team is to strengthen pathways for local college and university graduates to secure employment in regional life sciences companies.
Sub Bach Action Team
The goal of this Action Team is to develop and enhance pathways for individuals without a bachelor’s degree to enter the life sciences workforce.
Core Partners
Our Core Partners work alongside our Industry Steering Committee to drive high-level strategy related to economic development, policy advocacy, and building community and industry relationships. Their work includes helping to develop training programs and raising awareness of those programs across the region. The following are our Core Partners.
The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia
The Chamber offers strategic advisory support, actively promotes KLSC’s mission to stakeholders, and engages both community organizations and industry employers.
The Chamber collaborates with members, investors, partners, and stakeholders to position Greater Philadelphia as a top global destination for business and a leader in inclusive growth. The Chamber’s mission is to amplify the impact of businesses in the region, advocate for a competitive business climate, and grow a vibrant and diverse business community.
The Chamber supports business and job growth through regional marketing, targeted business attraction and expansion in key sub-sectors, talent attraction campaigns, and customized, concierge-level support for companies entering the region by building connections and sharing resources for growth and regional engagement.
As a core partner of the Keystone LifeSci Collaborative, the Chamber provides strategic advisory support, promotes the initiative to stakeholders, and engages community organizations and industry employers. It also serves as a point of contact for complementary life sciences efforts—such as business and talent attraction, quality of life, and broader advocacy—ensuring a comprehensive approach to advancing KLSC’s mission and strengthening the life sciences ecosystem in the region.
Life Sciences PA
Life Sciences PA (LSPA) supports regional workforce development by expanding KLSC’s outreach through its extensive industry relationships.
Life Sciences Pennsylvania (LSPA) is committed to ensuring Pennsylvania remains a leader in life sciences by facilitating the formation, growth, and success of the ecosystem through public policy advocacy and connecting people and resources. As a core partner of the Keystone LifeSci Collaborative, it supports regional workforce development initiatives by leveraging deep industry relationships.
The Chamber supports business and job growth through regional marketing, targeted business attraction and expansion in key sub-sectors, talent attraction campaigns, and customized, concierge-level support for companies entering the region by building connections and sharing resources for growth and regional engagement.
As a core partner of the Keystone LifeSci Collaborative, the Chamber provides strategic advisory support, promotes the initiative to stakeholders, and engages community organizations and industry employers. It also serves as a point of contact for complementary life sciences efforts—such as business and talent attraction, quality of life, and broader advocacy—ensuring a comprehensive approach to advancing KLSC’s mission and strengthening the life sciences ecosystem in the region.
Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation
Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) contributes its experience in economic development, real estate, and financing to the Keystone LifeSci Collaborative.
As the public-private economic development corporation for the City of Philadelphia, PIDC develops real estate and financing solutions to support both companies in Philadelphia and companies looking to build their futures here. PIDC, in partnership with The Skills Initiative, also contributes to successful workforce training solutions for life sciences companies located at its Navy Yard innovation campus.
Montgomery County Community College
KLSC’s collaboration with Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) aims to create more streamlined collaborations between educational and industry partners, enabling companies to directly shape the programming offered by educational institutions.
Montgomery County Community College has over 12,000 students and offers a range of science and math programs, including degree programs in life sciences, biomedical life sciences, and biotechnology. The college also offers a biotechnology and biomanufacturing certificate that can help graduates enter the workforce or enhance their skillset to further their careers in the life sciences.
The University City Science Center
The University City Science Center, situated in the heart of one of Philadelphia’s most innovative areas for life sciences research, partners with and shares space among multiple local industry leaders, helping KLSC foster industry partnerships.
The University City Science Center is a catalyst for life sciences entrepreneurship, bolstered by its location surrounded by colleges and universities, independent research institutions, and world-renowned hospitals. It is housed at uCity Square, a campus of over 15,000 workers across over 200 life science companies. A mixed-use campus, it also includes over 1,000 apartments and multi-family units and 3 acres of parks and outdoor space, fostering connections through both work and recreation.
The Leadership
Maurie Smith, Managing Director
Maurie Smith is the inaugural Managing Director of the Keystone LifeSci Collaborative, bringing over a decade of expertise in anchor-based economic development. Appointed in 2024, Smith’s role is pivotal in advancing KLSC’s life sciences initiatives, focusing on policy, programmatic, and infrastructure development. She is dedicated to expanding KLSC’s influence across Greater Philadelphia by engaging life science leaders and fostering partnerships with public, private, and community stakeholders.
Prior to KLSC, Smith was a Vice President at U3 Advisors, a national consulting firm, where she led the Organizational Design and Capacity Building Practice Area. Earlier in her career, she was a Project Manager at Cooper’s Ferry Partnership in Camden, NJ, where she spearheaded economic and community development projects.
Smith holds a Masters in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania.
Elaina Wolfson, Manager of Industry Partnerships
Elaina Wolfson is the Manager of Industry Partnerships for the Keystone LifeSci Collaborative. Elaina’s work sits at the intersection of industry and talent to unlock opportunity across Southeastern Pennsylvania’s life science and healthcare sectors. She is passionate about building and growing partnerships across the region with industry leaders to help shape the future of the sector in S.E. PA. She has previously worked as a Major Gift Officer garnering philanthropy for Cancer Research in Philly as well as a program coordinator in workforce development in Boston, MA for young adults experiencing homelessness. Elaina earned her bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst in Public Health and Psychology, offering her a strong understanding of people and systems that she translates to the industry partnership work.
