Ted Myatt is the Associate Vice Provost of Research Integrity at Tufts University.  Prior to coming to Tufts, Ted served as Associate Vice President for Research Administration at the University of Rhode Island (URI), where he led the Office of Sponsored Projects, the Office of Research Integrity and the Comparative Biology Resource Center. Ted also serves as an Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) member at several academic institutions. Prior to URI, Ted served as the biosafety officer at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Director of the Partners Healthcare IBC. He received a Bachelor’s of Science in microbiology at the University of Illinois, a Master’s of Environmental Management at Duke University, and a Doctorate of Science at the Harvard School of Public Health. Ted’s research background is in environmental microbiology, transmission of respiratory viruses, and exposure assessment.

Anne Sallee is the Biosafety Manager at Mass General Hospital, the largest hospital-based research enterprise in the U.S. For  the past 14 years, Anne has overseen the biosafety program which includes 380 principal investigators and >600 active protocol registrations, including clinical trials. Prior to entering the biosafety field, Anne worked as a clinical microbiologist aiding in the diagnosis of infectious diseases by performing identification tests to identify bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic agents.

Pari Arokiaraj  has worked for about 19 years as a Safety Officer at Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.  Pari joined the institute in May 2004 as an EH&S Specialist and now the Associate Director of EH&S. Under the able guidance of her supervisors and opportunities at the Institute, she learned the different aspects of Biosafety. In 2008, she was appointed as the Biosafety Officer of the Institute. Pari develops, implements and coordinates the Institutes biological safety program in addition to playing the role of the Associate Director of Environmental, Health and Safety. Pari holds a MS in Environmental, Health & Safety Management from Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY and MBA from Bangalore, India. 

Carolina Sánchez Cano was born and raised in Puerto Rico, where she received her bachelor's degree in Biology and also took part in a Medical Technology program. Afterwards, Carolina moved to Boston to work as a medical technologist in the Microbiology laboratory of MGH, where she was the Safety Officer and also worked in the general bacteriology, mycology, serology, and antibiotic susceptibility laboratories. After multiple years, she went to work as an EHS consultant for EH&E doing eyewash and shower inspections, hazardous waste management, laboratory inspections, PPE compliance, safety training, safety committee meetings and, most importantly, she was introduced to the field of Biosafety. After some months at EH&E, Carolina came back to MGH to be the Biosafety officer.

Bill Greene has worked as Business Operations Manager - Occupational Health at Cambridge Health Alliance since 2016.  In this role, Bill is responsible for growing the corporate client base, as well as managing the day to day operations of the clinic.

Dana Buckley has worked since 2011 at  the University of New Hampshire, where she serves as Biological Safety/Security Officer and Biological Safety Program Manager.  She provides technical consultation and management of research biological safety and biosecurity programs to assure compliance with regulatory requirements.  Dana provides oversight of infectious agents, recombinant and synthetic DNA, biomedical waste, and bloodborne pathogen programs.  Dana has also been Principal Consultant at Benchmark Safety Services since 2013.  In this role, Dana provides safety consulting services to the life sciences industry and academia, in areas including gap analyses, risk assessments, training, permit/license procurement, industrial hygiene plans, waste disposal solutions and validation of waste processes.  Dana specializes in mentoring new or mid-career EHS professionals.  Dana has a MS in Environmental Studies from UMass Lowell and a BS in Physiology from UConn. 

Julien Farland is a long-time member of NEBSA and in his role of Director of Biological Safety for the Boston Public Health Commission (2011-2017) he became very familiar with the NEBSA membership, their institutions and biosafety programs. In his current role as Boston Public Health Commission Director of Environmental Hazards he continues to have an active role in the BPHC Biological Safety Program and participate in NEBSA events. Julien has a Master of Science degree from Harvard School of Public Health and is a Certified Biological Safety Professional and a Registered Biosafety Professional.  

Julien has been a member of the Boston area biosafety community for most of the last 20 years while working at Harvard University, Whitehead Institute, Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, and Boston Public Health Commission. He has specific experience regulating laboratories working with recombinant and synthetic nucleic acids, as well as those involving high (BSL-3) and maximum (BSL-4) containment work, in the city of Boston. This includes permitting, inspection, investigating laboratory incidents, and regular review of IBC minutes, laboratory plans, and policies.

Krisanthi Giaya came into the Biosafety field 5 years ago after being an infectious diseases researcher and lab manager at the UMASS Chan Medical School 2000-2017 and a research assistant in the Institute of Biology Tirana Albania 1990-1996.  As the Assistant Biosafety Officer for the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School and the Alternate Responsible Official for a Tier One CDC Select Agent program, Kris has developed and executed various components of the biosafety and biosecurity program. She is a voting member of the IBC and provides biosafety and biocontainment expertise, and advises on risk management and communication strategies. Kris proposes and helps implement safety improvements of research protocols that fall under the NIH Guidelines and/or UMass Chan policy.  She conducts risk assessments to mitigate hazards posed by agents and experimental procedures.

Jessica Healey is a Senior Scientist at Environmental Health & Engineering, Inc. in Newton, MA and is registered and certified in the professional practice of biological safety through ABSA.  She is the Biosafety Officer for several research institutions in the Boston/Cambridge area, including Partners Research Building  and the Ragon Institute. In addition, she provides operational guidance and technical support for biotech and academic research laboratories in New England and across the US. Jessica currently serves on the ABSA Awards Committee and served as Secretary of NEBSA prior to becoming a general council member. 

Mary Sabolefski has a B.S. in Environmental Science from the UMASS Amherst, an M.S. in Work Environment (Industrial Hygiene) from the UMASS Lowell, and is a Registered Biosafety Professional (RBP). After 6 years working at the bench in support of environmental microbiology studies at the Harvard University School of Public Health in Dr. H. Burge’s lab, Mary has worked for 15 years as a biosafety and laboratory safety professional in the pharmaceutical industry.  Mary has had responsibility for biosafety programs focused on use of human derived materials and recombinant DNA technologies to discover new therapies to treat human disease, overseeing facility Institutional Biosafety Committees and serving as a member on facility IACUC committees.  Mary’s experience includes oversight of biosafety programming for operations in Europe and Asia, in both laboratory and manufacturing settings. Prior to her first term as a NEBSA counselor, Mary served as NEBSA treasurer for 6 years. As Councilor, Mary continues to work to ensure high quality content at the annual NEBSA seminar, and identify and promote new ideas to benefit and strengthen the NEBSA community.

Upcoming NEBSA Board Members for 2026-2028

President:

Mike McCarthy, RBP (ABSA), CHMM (running for 1st term)

Mike started his biosafety career at The Broad Institute and currently fills the role of Biological Safety Officer for Vertex Pharmaceuticals, located in Boston MA.  The Vertex biosafety program encompasses R&D for small molecules, cell and gene therapies, investigating emerging biological modalities, and process development for viral vector manufacturing and stem cell differentiation at both the research level and GXP level.  Mike is the chair for the Vertex Institutional Biosafety Committee and is a voting member of the IACUC.  Mike is also active in other biosafety groups including being a member of the Scientific Program Committee for ABSA and an active member of the Pharmaceutical Biosafety Group.  Mike has presented biosafety talks at multiple organizations including Hanson-Wade EHS conference, Pharmaceutical Biosafety User Group Annual Meeting, and NEBSA annual conference. Mike is also a moderator at the annual ABSA conference.

Mike advocates for a holistic and easily implementable approach to biosafety programs.  He values NEBSA as a key platform for promoting knowledge, best practices, and supporting the growth and development of individuals throughout their careers.

Secretary:

Marina Kirkland, Ph.D. 

Marina Kirkland brings a unique blend of academic expertise and hands-on biosafety experience to the table, making her an ideal candidate for the Secretary position at the New England Biosafety Association. With an MS in Biomedical Sciences and a PhD from Dartmouth College focused on pathogen-host interactions, Marina possesses a robust foundation in biochemistry, microbiology, immunology, and molecular biology. Her advanced knowledge in molecular biology and microbiology is complemented by practical experience in biosafety, having served as an Assistant Biosafety Officer at UCLA and now as Associate Biosafety Officer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

As a biosafety officer, Marina is responsible for a wide range of duties, including conducting inspections, supporting the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), coordinating high containment programs, and ensuring compliance with regulatory bodies such as the City of Boston, the state Department of Public Health, and federal agencies. Her experience in training, emergency response, policy revision, and safety onboarding, along with her contributions to fostering a safety culture within the research community, combined with strong organizational skills, a collaborative nature, attention to detail, and excellent communication skills equips her with the expertise necessary to effectively support and advance the goals of the New England Biosafety Association.

Robert Griffin, RBP, CBSP 

Robert is currently a Senior Consultant at Environmental Health and Engineering, Inc (EH&E) and has been serving as the Biosafety Officer for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for 10 years. In addition to managing the biosafety program, Robert also provides biosafety and EHS support for smaller consulting projects in healthcare and industry labs.

Before entering the biosafety field, Robert served as a Laboratory Supervisor in infectious disease labs as well as roles in research operations and IBC coordination. Robert holds the Registered Biosafety Profession as well as Certified Biological Safety Professional credentials through ABSA International.

Robert graduated with a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and maintains an active interest in environmental microbiology.

Membership Coordinator:

Carolina Sánchez Cano

Carolina was born and raised in Puerto Rico, where she earned her bachelor's degree in Biology and completed a Medical Technology program. She began her career as a medical technologist in the Microbiology laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), gaining hands-on experience in bacteriology, mycology, serology, and antibiotic susceptibility testing. Carolina later worked as an EHS consultant at Environmental Health & Engineering (EHE), where she conducted laboratory safety inspections, hazardous waste management, PPE compliance, and safety training, which introduced her to the field of biosafety. She returned to MGH as the Biosafety Officer, a role she has held for over two years.

As the current NEBSA Membership Coordinator, Carolina has been highly active on the board, regularly communicating with members and supporting the organization’s initiatives. She is excited for the opportunity to continue serving in this role, strengthening the biosafety community and fostering connections among colleagues.

Social Media Coordinator:

Molly Bergeron MPH, RBP (ABSA)

Molly is the Biosafety Officer for the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard and also works as a Biosafety Officer at the MGH main campus, positions she has held since last summer. Prior to this, she worked for several years as a Biosafety Manager for the University of Georgia's Office of Biosafety, where she helped to manage a large and diverse research program that included two BSL-3 facilities and a Select Agent program. Molly is a Registered Biosafety Professional through ABSA.  As a relative newcomer to the area, she is hoping to become more involved with the local biosafety community by helping to manage the NEBSA website and improve the group's social media outreach.