“Science is creative … you have to take leaps. And major discoveries happened because people were open to thinking differently,” says Dr. Sara McKenzie ’93MBA, who has enjoyed a long career in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and consulting.
In addition to her STEM-related work, McKenzie is a lifelong visual artist. She sees many similarities between conducting scientific research and creating a painting.
“With a scientific experiment, you start with a hypothesis and then follow a process … You have a question you want answered, but you have to let go of the outcome — you can’t control it … And if the data isn’t what you expected, it’s not a failure. It’s data, and you analyze it, and you develop your next question,” she explains.
“For me, making a painting feels very similar. I’ll put on a layer of, say, collage materials, and then analyze it. It gives me information, and then I apply the next layer based on that information … Sometimes I have a conception of what I want the next layer of paint to do, but it may not behave that way!” she says. “And again, I’ve learned that it is not a failure. It’s more information, which I can then incorporate and use to add the next layer. Letting go of the outcome, not trying to control things, is critical.”
Honoring her many professional accomplishments, McKenzie was recently included in Who’s Who in the World, published by Marquis Who’s Who, the world’s premier publisher of biographical profiles.
“I was surprised,” she reacts to receiving this recognition. “I don’t think of myself as anyone particularly special … But I figured that this publicity is another possible pathway to having my art seen out in the world.”
Lifelong Learning in the Sciences
Ever since her high school chemistry class, McKenzie was hooked on science. “My nature has always been: Why do things work that way? … I’ve always been curious,” she says. She went on to obtain bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biology, followed by a PhD in biochemistry.
After her studies, McKenzie landed her first job at Applied bioTechnology (AbT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “This was back in 1984, when biotechnology and genetic engineering had just gotten started,” she says. “AbT was a startup and they needed people to be flexible and willing to do many things.” In her new role, McKenzie quickly identified her strength as a project and program manager.
In 1999, McKenzie took a position as executive program director at Sepracor Pharmaceuticals. “The gentleman who hired me said that it did not matter that I had no background in pharmaceuticals, because everyone else in the company did,” she recalls. “What he was looking for was somebody with project management skills, and that’s what gave me my entrée into pharmaceutical development.”
After 25 years of working inside the biopharmaceutical industry, McKenzie pivoted to consulting. “Startups are my favorite clients … My niche was very early development, when the chemistry folks believe they have discovered a new compound that might be a drug. With a team of scientific specialists, I would manage the process of generating and gathering all of the data that the FDA [US Food and Drug Administration] requires in order for a company to be able to begin human clinical trials. That became my sweet spot for the remainder of my career.”
Throughout her career, McKenzie has appreciated the opportunity to be a lifelong learner. “In my scientific career and as a consultant, I would take on anybody who needed help getting in front of the FDA. It did not matter what the disease was or what the drug was, because I knew the steps that were needed and the types of data that were needed … I was happily always learning about all kinds of things.”
Business Training at Simmons
Early in her career, McKenzie observed that the many startups in biotech were founded by scientists. “They were experts in their fields, but generally did not have the first clue how to run a business. I thought, if I go to business school, I’ll learn faster and I’ll be more valuable to any potential employer,” she says.
When she was looking for MBA programs, McKenzie took a workshop called “Negotiation Strategies,” led by a Simmons faculty member. It was such a positive experience that she decided to enroll in night classes at Simmons, eventually obtaining her degree while working full time in biotech.
McKenzie’s degree from the Simmons School of Management (SOM) imparted many practical skills that were directly relevant to her profession. “Being in project and program management and having to strategize, build and track a budget, and deal with contracts with outside vendors — all of that was supported by my education at Simmons. And because I got the degree while I was working, it all flowed naturally into my day-to-day work.”
Moreover, McKenzie benefited from the women-centered learning environment at Simmons. “One of the best things about Simmons’ MBA program was that it was founded by two women, Dr. Margaret Hennig ’62 and Dr. Anne Jardim ’13HD … What I appreciated throughout the program was not just the content, but also the focus on women, and women working in a man’s world,” McKenzie says.
“We learned how men tend to operate and how they are socialized. The better you understand that, the better prepared you are to work and succeed in a man’s world,” she continues. “That part of the Simmons education positioned me for success in a field and an industry where men still prevail. I can’t tell you how many meetings I attended where I was the only woman in the room! … So, Simmons was a great experience.”
A Lifelong Artist
In addition to loving science, McKenzie has been a “maker” ever since she was a little girl. With the exception of when she was attending graduate school, McKenzie has always had a hand in arts and crafts, including sewing, fiber arts, weaving, needlework, pottery, and stained glass. Currently, she works in abstract painting and collage.
McKenzie uses color, form, and texture to explore the inner, subconscious experience. She derives inspiration from some of the modernists, including Wassily Kandinsky and Henri Matisse. “Their use of form and color really speak to me,” she says.
For McKenzie, art is about exploration. Like her early scientific experiments, she allows herself to let go of the outcome. When she signs her paintings, she uses a glyph that visually interprets a Latin phrase attributed to Michelangelo: Ancora imparo (“I am still learning”), a nod to her lifelong love of learning as well as her approach to art and science.
In recent years, gallery spaces in the US, Canada, and all over Europe have exhibited her works of art. “It’s great for my work to get out there in the world and be seen … I’ve been delighted with the response.”
McKenzie relocated to Sante Fe, New Mexico, in 2014. “Santa Fe has a huge art community. Moving here is when I really settled on painting and two-dimensional art,” she says.
Follow Passions, Seize Opportunities
In her current volunteer work for Girls Inc., a nonprofit leadership program, McKenzie tells girls that “just because it’s science doesn’t mean that you can’t do it.” Her words of advice to Simmons students are similar: “If you find yourself really drawn to a subject matter, go for it. Because that love feeds your success.”
McKenzie also advises Simmons students to be open to opportunities. “You never know where they are going to come from, or where they might lead you, and they just might be better than anything you could have planned.”