NCBiotech's Sara Imhof honored by Triangle Business Journal
By Barry Teater | This article originally appeared on NCBiotech's blog
Sara Imhof, Ph.D., vice president of the focused initiatives team at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, has been honored by a regional business publication for her inspiring work to lead North Carolina residents into jobs and careers in the state’s life sciences sector.
Imhof is among 27 winners in Triangle Business Journal’s 2025 Women in Business Awards program. This program recognizes Triangle-area women who have proven to be dynamic and outstanding leaders with established track records of significant accomplishments in business and/or community service.
Imhof and other award winners were recognized during an awards luncheon on March 12 at Embassy Suites in Cary.
Sara has profoundly changed the trajectory of countless lives across rural communities in North Carolina. Through leadership, she has inspired individuals from all walks of life to pursue promising careers in the life sciences ─ careers they never imagined possible.
Imhof served as the regional economic competitiveness officer for Accelerate NC, a coalition of 30 organizations working to attract talent to the state’s life sciences industry. The coalition, representing education and training institutions, life sciences companies and nonprofit organizations, applied for and won a $25 million award from the U.S. Economic Development Administration in 2022 to support its efforts.
Since the grant launched, most of Accelerate NC’s work was coordinated by Imhof.
“Sara has brought together a large group of partners and kept this broad coalition moving forward as one unified force to get things done, positively impacting 79 of our state’s 100 counties,” said Bill Bullock, senior vice president of economic and statewide development at NCBiotech. “Her hard work and strong leadership make her very deserving of this Women in Business Award.”
Accelerate NC has expanded and strengthened North Carolina’s life sciences manufacturing talent pool while providing new job opportunities for people statewide, particularly in rural communities.
Accelerate NC’s accomplishments include increased awareness of jobs and training opportunities in the life sciences among rural communities; expanded capacity for biomanufacturing training at 10 community colleges through the BioWork certificate program; and the launch of a new two-week bioprocessing training at five Historically Black Colleges and Universities and one Historically American Indian University.
Accelerate NC’s work will continue through 2026.
