Gretchen Cook-Anderson, inaugural executive director of Ignite, a workforce diversity platform of parent nonprofit LabCentral, is an award-winning marketing executive with 25+ years of promoting biotechnology careers, global education, space and Earth science discoveries for NASA, Mars candy, entertainers in Hollywood, candidates for political office, and a host of household products (at Edelman PR). In her new role at Ignite, she’s leading efforts to address systemic racial, gender and other underrepresentation across life sciences and the biotech industry – from labs to leadership, and from the STEM student pipeline to the entrepreneurs advancing life-changing innovations that heal, save and extend lives. Prior to her current role, Gretchen served as Associate Vice President, Assistant to the President & Director for Diversity Recruiting & Advising at IES Abroad, one of the largest providers of academic study and internship programs abroad which educates about 9,000 US college/university students abroad each year across 35 international cities. Gretchen led diversity and inclusion-related marketing outreach, resulting in 151% growth in enrollment diversity during her 10+ years at IES Abroad. In 2014 and again in 2016, her efforts garnered Diversity Abroad’s EDIIE (Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion in International Education) Award, and an achievement award from IES Abroad in 2018. In May 2021, Gretchen was awarded NAFSA's (the Association for International Educators) inaugural Award for Impact in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in International Education -- a distinction from the most prominent, global professional association in the field.