North Carolina Veteran & Military Spouse Talent Roadshow Durham

North Carolina Veteran & Military Spouse Talent Roadshow: Durham

Date: February 4, 2026

Location: NC Biotechnology Center, Durham, NC

Guest Speakers

Secretary Jocelyn Mitnaul Mallette

Jocelyn Mitnaul Mallette is the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and is a third-generation service member. As Secretary, Jocelyn leads the Department in its mission to support the military and veteran connected communities in North Carolina.

As the daughter of Goldsboro natives, Jocelyn received her nomination to the United States Air Force (USAF) Academy from North Carolina Congresswoman Eva Clayton. After graduating, Jocelyn served for ten years in the USAF. First, as an Admissions Officer at the Air Force Academy. Then, she secured a mission critical assignment as an intelligence officer, during which she briefed pilots in South Carolina and in Germany. Jocelyn cross-trained into the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps after graduating from the University of North Carolina School of Law.

Jocelyn served as a prosecutor and general practice attorney in the JAG Corps at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. After ten years of active-duty military service, Jocelyn started her civilian career as an attorney by clerking for the Honorable Barbara A. Jackson of the North Carolina Supreme Court. Following her clerkship, Jocelyn spent six years at the international law firm of McGuireWoods, where she represented Fortune 500 companies in complex commercial litigation and became partner.  

As an active member of her community, Jocelyn currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Southeast Raleigh YMCA. She also is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and the Junior League of Raleigh. She is married to Harold A. Mallette, who is a licensed architect, and she is the proud mother of two hilarious and lively children. 

Secretary Lee Lilley

Lee Lilley's service as North Carolina's Secretary of Commerce began on January 1, 2025. Appointed to the office by Governor Josh Stein, Secretary Lilley brings extensive economic development experience to the role.

Immediately prior to joining the department, Secretary Lilley served as the Director of Economic & Pandemic Recovery for Governor Roy Cooper. In that position, he coordinated statewide pandemic recovery efforts, served as State Infrastructure Coordinator, and led economic development initiatives for the Cooper Administration. Lee also advised Cooper Administration leadership on strategy and communications.

Lee joined the Governor’s Office in 2018 as the Director of Legislative Affairs, where he led all Gubernatorial and Executive Branch engagement with the North Carolina General Assembly and served as the principal advisor to the Governor on policy and legislative strategy. Lee was previously senior vice president and deputy director of federal practice at McGuireWoods Consulting, LLC, based in Washington, D.C. There he represented a diverse group of clients including Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, trade associations, and non-profits before Congress and the federal Executive Branch. He led public affairs strategies for clients facing political and regulatory scrutiny of international mergers and acquisitions, litigation, and trade disputes. Prior to joining McGuireWoods, Lee served as legislative director for Congressman G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), a member of U.S. House Democratic leadership and the Energy & Commerce Committee, and the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. He served as the Member’s senior legislative strategist and policy advisor.  Lee is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

A native of Williamston, North Carolina, Secretary Lilley lives in Raleigh with his wife and daughter.

Mary Beth Thomas

Mary Beth Thomas is the senior vice president for science and business development at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBiotech).  She has worked at NCBiotech for over 18 years in a variety of programmatic and leadership roles. 
In her current role, she is responsible for NCBiotech’s teams that award funding to support and accelerate translation and commercialization of life science technologies in North Carolina. 
Under her division:

• The Science and Technology Development team administers grants that support university capacity building and technology translation;
• The Emerging Company Development team administers small business loan programs that support start-up creation and growth; and
• The Business Intelligence and Analytics team provides unique market research and business intelligence services to support business model evaluation and development.

Mary Beth also co-leads NCBiotech’s Focused Initiatives Team which works to identify and prioritize emerging opportunities that leverage assets and resources to deliver high impact solutions for the state.  
Additionally, starting in 2013, Mary Beth worked proactively to connect with many  partners in the ecosystem to raise awareness of NC’s dynamic and growing life sciences community – specifically our military partners, the many veterans that choose to make NC their home as well as national security contacts. These early efforts seeded the knowledge and early relationships that were foundational in the creation of the MOVE Boots to Biotech program.
 

Before joining NCBiotech in 2008, Mary Beth served as the statewide director of Technology Commercialization with the Small Business and Technology Development Center(SBTDC), a business extension service housed within the University of North Carolina System. Her industry experience includes roles as an assistant director of the Neurosensory Program at Tranzyme Pharma in Research Triangle Park and as an assistant director of the Neuroprotection Program at Cogent Neuroscience in Durham.
 

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biotechnology at the Rochester Institute of Technology (New York), a doctorate in developmental biology from the University of Cincinnati and served as a postdoctoral fellow with the Department of Neurobiology at Duke University.

Wendy Mayer

Wendy Mayer is Vice President, Candidate Experience at Pfizer. She leads a team of over 300 colleagues managing employer branding, recruiting, early talent, and onboarding across Pfizer globally. In this role, Wendy combines her strategy background with operational excellence to deliver on a talent strategy that enables Pfizer to recruit highly qualified, diverse talent. She has led the implementation of AI across People Experience at Pfizer, with a particular focus on the hiring process, which has yielded productivity improvements, improved experience and cost savings. 
 

Since joining Pfizer in 1997, Wendy has had various roles across the organization including: Strategy, Market Access Innovation, Enterprise Innovation, Connecticut Sales Leadership, Clinical Trial Process Improvement, and Market Analytics. Wendy co-led NYHQ PWR, the women’s colleague resource group at Pfizer’s global HQ for 8 years. 
 

Prior to Pfizer, Wendy was at Deloitte & Touche Consulting and did an administrative fellowship at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Wendy holds a bachelor’s degree and MBA from Cornell University. 

Erik Williams

Erik Williams is a seasoned operations leader with more than three decades of combined military and biopharmaceutical manufacturing experience. He began his career in the United States Army after earning a B.S. in Biology from Providence College in 1993 on an ROTC scholarship. He also holds an M.A.  in Organizational Management and Development, further enhancing his leadership and strategic management capabilities. Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Armor Branch, he completed the prestigious U.S. Army Ranger School before serving six years on active duty in a range of key leadership positions.
 

After transitioning from military service in 1999, Erik entered the corporate manufacturing sector, where he built a distinguished career defined by operational excellence, team development, and a deep commitment to strengthening organizational culture. He joined Amgen in 2003 and has spent more than 22 years leading teams across biotech cell culture, purification, and manufacturing support operations.
 

Erik currently serves as the Senior Manager of Manufacturing Programs for Amgen North Carolina in Holly Springs, where he leads the Manufacturing Technical Training Team and serves as the site Subject Matter Expert for Human and Organizational Performance (HOP). In addition to his operational leadership, he serves as the site Co Lead for the Amgen Veterans Employee Network (AVEN) chapter, advocating for the hiring, development, and retention of armed services veterans working at the site. 

Nicole Niwa

Nicole Niwa has led Alliance Development & Social Responsibility for Novo Nordisk's four manufacturing sites in North Carolina since 2024, playing a key role in advancing community partnerships, workforce development initiatives, and strategic external engagement. Nicole is deeply involved in strengthening programs like BioWork, Boots to Biotech, and regional workforce pipelines, helping expand access to life sciences careers across the state. Known for her collaboration, responsiveness, and commitment to community impact, she supports cross-functional teams, government partners and educational institutions to drive initiatives that benefit both Novo Nordisk and the communities it serves.
 

Before joining Novo Nordisk, Nicole built deep expertise in employee communications, engagement, and public-sector advocacy. She led employee communications and experience at Rivian; held senior communications roles at Delta Air Lines focused on global engagement and safety/regulated environments; and served as a global communications specialist at bp. Earlier, she spent nearly a decade with the Illinois House of Representatives and served as Executive Director of the Illinois Legislative Diabetes Caucus, advancing health policy, diabetes caucuses and statewide education initiatives. She and her husband Dan have 10-year-old twins Sophie and Parker. 

Mike Benson

As Chief Talent Officer of GE Aerospace, Mike Benson is responsible for providing strategy, leadership and expertise for the full scope of talent management, organizational development/effectiveness, culture/engagement, leadership development & learning, talent acquisition and leadership pipeline activities for the business.  Mike and his team have a wealth of expertise focused on talent management, leadership development, organizational performance, and building a diverse pipelines.  Mike has been a leader in Human Resources, Talent Management, and the Military for more than two decades as well as being a published author and invited speaker across industry groups and professional associations.  Prior to GE Aerospace, Mike served as Vice President, Talent & Organization Capabilities at General Mills where he was responsible for delivering a robust, diverse leadership pipeline through best-in-class talent management initiatives while leading the integrated, end-to-end talent management ecosystem. Additionally, Mike has held a variety of senior talent management and consulting roles at Johnson & Johnson and Personnel Decisions International, a global HR consultancy. During his tenure at J&J & PDI, Mike had responsibility for several global and enterprise-wide initiatives delivering impact to leaders and organizations around the world.  Mike started his career as a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force where he spent 12 years on active duty serving across several specialties including time as an aircraft maintenance officer (one of his cherished roles was leading the Propulsion Operation at Shaw AFB where the team maintained F110-129s and TF-34s).  Mike has delivered leadership training sessions, performance feedback and talent management consulting to military and corporate audiences around the world.    Mike has a Ph.D. in Industrial & Organizational Psychology from the University of Minnesota, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Management and Behavioral Sciences & Leadership from the United States Air Force Academy.  He holds memberships in the American Psychological Association, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and the Academy of Management.  

Adrienne Cole

Adrienne Cole is the president and CEO of the Raleigh Chamber and leads the Triangle’s largest business 
membership organization representing two-thirds of the private sector employment in Wake County. 
In this role, Adrienne and her team support the interests of the local business community while building 
a thriving regional economy, enhancing the community’s quality of life, and strengthening member 
businesses. Adrienne’s core focus areas are economic development, diversity, equity and inclusivity, 
government affairs, transportation, workforce development, talent, entrepreneurship, leadership 
development, and supporting small business. 

Adrienne is a graduate of Meredith College and received a master’s degree in public administration from 
Appalachian State University. Adrienne serves on numerous boards including the Board of Directors and 
Executive Committee of the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE), Chair of the Metro 
Cities Council of ACCE, the Board and Executive Committee of the Research Triangle Regional 
Partnership (RTRP), the Meredith College Board of Trustees and Chair of the Meredith College Business 
and Finance Committee, the Downtown Raleigh Alliance Board of Directors, The 50 Group Board of 
Directors, the City Club Raleigh Board of Governors, Wake Tech Board of Visitors and is a member of 
several business and civic organizations in the Triangle. 

Under Adrienne’s leadership, the Chamber and Wake County Economic Development led economic 
development project wins totaling $7.74 billion and 26,000 jobs since 2014. 
Adrienne has been the recipient of the Triangle Business Journal’s Women in Business Award and CEO of 
the Year award. She has also been recognized by Business NC in their Power List. Adrienne was the 
recipient of the TCREW Impact Award in 2023. Adrienne and her husband Walt live in Raleigh and have 
three children. 

Geoff Durham

Geoff joined the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce in April 2016 as President & CEO, where he works closely with the Chamber’s key investors and business members to help create and sustain a strong, healthy economic climate. Under his leadership, the Chamber engages the business community, elected officials, and regional partners to advance economic development strategies and initiatives that foster an innovative and inclusive business environment, creating opportunities for Durham and its residents to thrive.

Prior to joining the Chamber, Geoff served as President & CEO of Downtown Durham, Inc. During his tenure, downtown experienced significant investment and growth across multiple industry sectors. He played a key role in facilitating the development of new office, laboratory, and co-working spaces, supporting the expansion of existing businesses and attracting new companies to Durham.

Geoff brings more than 25 years of economic development experience to his role. Before coming to Durham, he served as Director of Economic Development for Fairfax, Virginia, and as Manager of Downtown Silver Spring in Montgomery County, Maryland.