Triad BioNight 2026 set for May 27 in Greensboro

The tenth edition of Triad BioNight, a celebration of bioscience growth and recognition of industry leaders in North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad region, is expected to attract over 400 attendees in May.

This long-standing, iconic event, hosted by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center and its Piedmont Triad Regional Advisory Committee, is scheduled for Wednesday, May 27, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro.

Online registration for individual attendees opens April 1 and will continue until the event is sold out. The cost is $110 per person.

(For a look at previous Triad BioNight festivities, view this video.)

Orchestrated by dozens of volunteers, the event will include a networking reception, dinner, keynote address and announcement of the Piedmont Triad Biotechnology Excellence Awards winners.

“What began in 2005 as a night of recognition has grown into a catalyst for collaboration, uniting leaders, innovators and visionaries who continue to shape the future of life sciences right here in the Piedmont Triad region,” said Nancy Johnston, executive director of NCBiotech’s Piedmont Triad Office. “Triad BioNight is a powerful force with the support of our regional advisory committee and sponsors, the hundreds who attend, the excellence awards recipients, and the volunteers who lend their time and talent. It creates an energy that has propelled this gathering into a highly anticipated tradition.”

Since its beginning, Triad BioNight has attracted over 3,000 attendees, 400 volunteers, 11 keynote speakers, and 45 Excellence Award recipients. The event was last held in 2024.

“Each Triad BioNight reminds us how far the region has come and how much potential lies ahead,” said Advisory Committee Chair Daniel Erb, PT, Ph.D., provost at High Point University. “We’re excited to help convene a community that is shaping the future of biotechnology in the Piedmont Triad.”

Advisory Committee Vice Chair Geoff Foster, MS, MBA, chief executive officer and president of Core Technology Molding Corp., said, “There’s a unique energy at Triad BioNight — one that comes from bringing together entrepreneurs, researchers, educators and industry leaders. That mix of perspectives is what drives progress, and this event helps spark the conversations that lead to new opportunities.”

Event co-chairs, team leaders

The co-chairs for Triad BioNight 2026 are Kathy Eichlin, head of crop protection and corporate communications at Syngenta NA in Greensboro, and Robert Boyce, chief executive officer of Plakous Therapeutics in Winston-Salem.

Eichlin oversees all facets of strategic communications, including external, community, and employee relations, as well as crisis communications for Syngenta, one of the world’s leading agricultural companies. 

Previously, she held prominent roles in public relations at major health systems in Chicago, Philadelphia and Voorhees, N.J. She brings communications expertise and deep community engagement to her role as co-chair.  

Boyce has spent the past seven years leading Plakous Therapeutics’ product development, raising more than $10 million and guiding multiple successful interactions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 

Before joining Plakous, he served in leadership roles at Imago Systems, a medical diagnostics company. He began his business career at Johnson & Johnson, where he managed the Tylenol brand and later led Global Sales and Marketing for Independence Technology, focused on rehabilitation technologies. He brings cross-sector insight and a strong entrepreneurial perspective to his role as co-chair. 

Event team leaders for Triad BioNight are:

• Awards Chair: Carissa Jones, founder, Ventus LLC
• Hospitality Chair: Jill Atherton, CEcD, consultant 
• Marketing Chair: Nicole Donoghue, president, Trone
• Sponsorship Chairs: Robert Egleston, executive director of Twin City Foundation, and Russ Read, retired from the National Center for the Biotechnology Workforce.

Call for award nominations

Regional Biotechnology Excellence Awards will be presented at Triad BioNight in five categories: Academic Development, Biotechnology Community Leadership, Biotechnology Service/Support, Entrepreneurial, and Research & Development.

Award nominations will be accepted via NCBiotech’s event web page beginning April 1 and ending April 30.

The Awards Committee includes:

• Chair: Carissa Jones, founder, Ventus LLC
• Jennifer B. Brown, vice president, future ready workforce strategy, Forsyth Technical Community College
• Jennifer Byrne*, chief executive officer, Javara
• Brandon Frederick*, engineering manager, Core Technology Molding Corp., and program director, Molding Kids for Success
• Ayla Burns Harris*, director, research and development, Labcorp
• Loren Hill, Carolina Core regional economic development director, Piedmont Triad Partnership
• Terry Howerton*, biotechnology instructor, Atkins Academic & Technology High School
• Louis Judge, MBA, CLP, RTTP, senior innovation hub director, NCInnovation
• Sherine Obare*, Ph.D., vice chancellor for research and engagement at UNC Greensboro, and professor at the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering
• Melissa Smith, director, workforce development solutions, Greensboro Chamber of Commerce
• Osama Zahid, Ph.D., director, licensing, Wake Forest University School of Medicine

*Awards Committee members with an asterisk after their names are previous award winners.