Israel discusses careers in biotechnology

Steve Israel, managing director of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals for Korn/Ferry, visited the Love School of Business Wednesday, Nov. 29 to meet with students and discuss career choices in the biotechnology industry. In his job, Israel conducts executive recruiting searches for biotechnology, pharmaceutical and life sciences companies. His presentation was titled, “Careers in Biotechnology: Too Many Good Jobs, Too Few Qualified People.”

“This talk is especially relevant given the importance of biotechnology as an industry at both the state and national level,” said John Burbridge, dean of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. “As Mr. Israel indicated, this industry is crying out for young talent that could come form Elon University. Given his role as the managing director of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical practice for Korn Ferry International, Steve is the preeminent authority on what this industry needs. Korn Ferry is the largest and best executive search firm in the world.”

A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Israel served as chief administrative officer for Cytel Corp., a biopharmaceutical company in San Diego, before joining Korn/Ferry.

Israel’s late father, Archie Israel, was a 1939 Elon graduate and captain of the football team. The Archie and Adelaide Israel Scholarship was established in 1985 to assist deserving students; this year, three students are attending Elon thanks to the scholarship. Steve Israel and his two sisters have continued contributions to the scholarship fund since their parents’ death in 2004.