Meet Kenn Turner

The Next Chapter Begins

Dear Colleagues:

I write to you during a momentous time for the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC). I find myself approaching the finish line of year one in leading the Center. It did not take me long in joining the MLSC to realize two things—first, I am blessed with a tremendous team here that demonstrates an unmatched level of professionalism, expertise, and commitment to our mission and two, our mission is more important than ever.

As we move forward steadily toward the “next normal”, we are living and working during a time in which an unprecedented number of individuals, spanning the entire globe, have a direct link to the life sciences, thanks to the lifesaving efforts that produced the COVID-19 vaccine. Given our Commonwealth’s preeminent leadership position in the life sciences, it is no accident that the three major vaccine developers all have a Massachusetts presence.

All that to say, our Commonwealth and our ecosystem are having a moment where the spotlight is upon us like never before. The focus must be on how we can leverage this attention, working collaboratively toward what must come next, because we all know so much work remains to take our ecosystem to a new level of excellence for patients, for our workforce, and for those who remain underrepresented in this thriving sector.

This past fiscal year, we endeavored to begin accomplishing many of these aims, running a myriad of programs and initiatives, representing $55 million. Through these investments, we continued to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, leveraged our strengths, and played an integral role in supporting the Commonwealth’s economic recovery, all the while

keeping a hyper-focus on our foundational ideals of equity and inclusion and regional growth.

While we have much to be proud of, the current times call for new ideas and innovations, so we may continue to meet what’s ahead for the Center’s next chapter. It’s why my team and I initiated an effort to reaffirm our core value proposition in the development of a strategic framework to help ensure that we remain in a strong position for years to come to support economic development and job growth now and into the future.

It’s easy to see the growth and success of the life sciences in Massachusetts, and maybe fall into the trap of saying “job well done, time to move on.” We are indeed a mature ecosystem, but not a finished one. There is work left to do and I am confident we will get the job done, because we continue to have all the right partners at the table in government, education, and industry.

Let’s get to work.

Kenneth Turner
President and CEO
Massachusetts Life Sciences Center

A New Commander

In December 2020, the MLSC began a new chapter with Kenneth Turner starting in the role as the Center’s new and permanent President and Chief Executive Officer. Turner is an executive-level leader holding parallel public sector, industry and military officer careers, and comes to MLSC with a keen expertise in leading highly complex, matrix-driven operations in public and private-sector organizations.

Prior to joining the MLSC, Mr. Turner served as Director of Diversity & Inclusion/Compliance with Massport. He oversaw and managed the Authority’s multiple diversity programs, including business and supplier diversity, workforce diversity, and airport concessions, as well as all compliance initiatives associated with Massport’s Disadvantaged/Minority/Women Business Enterprise programs.

Turner joined Massport from the Department of Veterans’ Services, where he served as Deputy Secretary for Administration and Finance for close to three years. Prior to entering state service, Turner served for five years as Senior Vice President for AOL Time Warner’s Audience Division, which was preceded by five years as Senior Director of Trade Marketing for Hasbro, Inc.

A Veteran, Turner served for 26 years in the United States Navy, where he achieved the rank of Captain, a position he held for close to 20 years. His tenure in the Navy consist of 20 years in the Navy Reserves and six years on active duty where he served as a Submarine Nuclear Weapons Officer.

The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center has been fundamental to the Commonwealth’s position as a leader in key sectors, especially those that have been vital to combating the pandemic. I want to congratulate Kenneth Turner for being offered the opportunity to lead this organization at such a critical time and I look forward to Mass Life Sciences continuing to play a significant role under his leadership.”

Governor Charlie Baker

President Turner Navigates the Ecosystem

Early in his tenure, President Turner was heartened by opportunities provided to him to safely visit with the people and learn more about the places that make this life sciences ecosystem so special. These engagements and building of alliances has spanned the entire Commonwealth, across key stakeholder groups in government, industry, and education.

This includes visits with numerous companies, including Snapdragon Chemistry, Mustang Bio, Frequency Therapeutics, and EMD Serono. President Turner has engaged with a significant majority of the Commonwealth’s dynamic life sciences incubator spaces, such as LabCentral, North Shore InnoVentures, Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2), and Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (MBI). While at NSIV, President Turner was joined by key local and state elected officials as well as leadership from Cummings Properties and the North Shore Life Sciences Consortium. NSIV members and graduates have created 478 jobs, raised $657 million, and provided 257 internships.

The navigation of the ecosystem has included a number of stops across academia, including Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Northeastern University, and all five University of Massachusetts campuses. During his visit to UMass Lowell, President Turner learned more about the significant growth and success the university continues to experience, and how the MLSC has played an essential role in that success.

President Turner has especially been in awe of the impact taking place at institutions such as Middlesex Community College and MassBay Community College. The MLSC has provided more than $3 million to support Middlesex’s Biotechnology

Technician program, while also supporting 82 internships for their students since 2010. The Center has also supported MassBay for a total of $650,000 in capital funding as they train 60-70 biotech students annually with a 90 percent graduation rate. The Center has also funded 82 internships for their students.

I have enjoyed the opportunity of introducing myself to the ecosystem. The sense of community and an innate collaborative spirit is real in this life sciences space. I already know this for a fact.”

Northeastern University

“You can feel the collaboration and innovation permeating throughout Northeastern University’s Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex. I continue to meet so many stakeholders across our ecosystem, particularly at our educational institutions, who want to lean in and continue to work together to reach new levels of excellence in the life sciences.”

MassBio Policy Breakfast

Early in his tenure, President Turner had the pleasure of offering welcome remarks at the 2021 MassBio Policy Breakfast. His central message–he and the entire MLSC team look forward to building upon the strong partnership between the MLSC, MassBio, and all key partners in industry and government, now and into the future.

Frequency Therapeutics

“It was an incredible privilege to be on-hand for the headquarters grand opening of Frequency Therapeutics in Lexington, Massachusetts, where a strong life sciences cluster has formed. Kudos to David Lucchino and his team on a stellar gathering. It was wonderful to hear about the transformative science they are advancing to treat degenerative diseases.”

UMass Boston

President Turner learned about the people and partnerships driving success for UMass Boston during a tour that included stops at the Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy and Core Facilities at the school's Integrated Science Complex, its Engineering Cleanroom, and Venture Development Center. He was excited to see the opportunities created for their diverse student population.

MassBiologics

President Turner continues to discover the exciting opportunities young people are experiencing thanks to the Life Sciences Center. This included a visit to MassBiologics' Mattapan facility to learn about internship opportunities MassBiologics is providing to local high school and college students. Through its High School Apprenticeship Challenge, the MLSC has funded 10 internships at MassBiologics.

North Shore

“If you are looking to experience the diversity of strengths in our life sciences ecosystem look no further than the North Shore. Thanks to institutions like North Shore InnoVentures in Beverly, Massachusetts, and the Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute, upwards of 270 companies, such as EMD Serono in Danvers, Massachusetts, have found a home in this thriving region.”

UMass Lowell

In a visit to UMass Lowell, President Turner learned about the success the campus continues to experience, and the importance of the MLSC’s role in shaping that success. This included stops at M2D2, the NERVE Center, the Fabric Discovery Center, Perry Hall, the university's Biomanufacturing Center, the Saab ETIC labs, and Core Research Facilities.

LabCentral

"LabCentral remains an essential anchor institution for the future success of the next generation of start-ups, and our life sciences ecosystem more broadly. Its new facility represents the opportunity Massachusetts has to lead in the bio-manufacturing space, pairing high quality facilities with equally high quality workforece programming that expands biotech jobs in Massachusetts."

LUMICKS

President Turner and André Haspels, ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands visit LUMICKS, a Waltham-based biotechnology company aiming to improve human health by empowering researchers with tools that provide unparalleled insight into the fundamental cause of disease and the potential for drug optimization.

Middlesex Community College

At Middlesex Community College, President Turner saw first-hand the impact its Biotechnology Technician program is experiencing thanks in part to MLSC capital funding totaling more than $3 million. The Center has also sponsored 82 internships for their students. President Turner met Dr. Mariluci Bladon, who has dedicated 31 years to the program.