Liisa Bozinovic serves as Senior Advisor to the Life Sciences Workforce Collaborative, bringing more than two decades of operational, industry, and workforce-development leadership to the organization.

 

She recently concluded nearly a decade as Executive Director of Oregon Life Sciences, where she helped advance the state’s life sciences ecosystem and workforce priorities.

​

Liisa began her career in accounting, earning her degree from Michigan State University and becoming a CPA before transitioning into industry. Over the past 20+ years, she has held operations and leadership roles across automotive, medical device, drug discovery, and life sciences trade associations in both California and Oregon.

 

Her workforce focus is grounded in direct industry experience. During her time with a small medical device company, Liisa saw firsthand the challenge of finding manufacturing and quality technicians prepared for cleanroom operations—particularly when candidates appeared qualified on paper but lacked the practical skills needed to succeed. That experience helped shape her commitment to strengthening career pathways and aligning education and training with real-world industry needs.

 

As Founding Chair of the LSWC and Chair of the former Coalition of State Bioscience Institutes, Liisa co-led the development of four biennial national life sciences workforce reports, which have become valuable resources for educators, policymakers, and industry leaders seeking to better understand in-demand skills and workforce trends.

​

Liisa also serves as Senior Accountant for Life Science Cares, a nonprofit that mobilizes the life sciences community to address poverty. She is deeply committed to the mission of the Boz Institute, which she supports alongside her husband, Goran, to help under-resourced individuals discover the wonder and rigor of science while building the skills needed for successful science careers and for life.

Lori brings almost three decades of experience in business-facing nonprofits, working with the private sector, local governments, industry and community-based partners in the U.S. & Europe to develop workforce and entrepreneurial systems in growth industries. Prior to co-founding the Life Sciences Workforce Collaborative, and its predecessor, the Coalition of State Bioscience Institutes (CSBI), she was the President & CEO of the California Life Science Institute for thirteen years, overseeing its education, workforce and entrepreneurship initiatives.

During her 8.5 years as a Vice President at SF Works, Lori led employer engagement efforts and developed and managed employment training programs for low-income adults, including the nationally recognized “On-Ramp to Biotech” program.

 

Having completed coursework for a Ph.D. in International Relations and Comparative Politics at American University in Washington, D.C., Lori served as a Senior Research Associate at the Brussels-based Migration Policy Group, where she coordinated national roundtables between business executives and senior officials from EU member states, the US and Canada focusing on policies and practices to promote workforce development and international supply chains. Lori has also served as a Visiting Fellow at Stanford University, a Research Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and a consultant for the Council of Europe. She is a published writer of industry and government reports in the US and Europe.

engaged.