After metastatic breast cancer took the life of a close family member, Megan Wherry Menner ’96, M.S. ’03, changed the direction of her career to focus on supporting the life-saving mission of the biotech and pharma industries. As senior vice president and head of Human Resources (HR) for CRISPR Therapeutics, she has been an instrumental leader in the company’s growth from around 60 employees when she started five and a half years ago, to just under 500 today, while building the HR function from the ground up.

Co-founded by Emmanuelle Charpentier, who won the Nobel Prize in 2020 for her discovery — with Jennifer Doudna — of CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors, CRISPR Therapeutics has expanded from a research startup to having clinical testing in areas of hemoglobinopathies and cancer treatments, and advancing other blood stem cell, regenerative medicine and in vivo programs toward the clinic utilizing gene-editing therapies.

“In a few short years, we have seen the exciting progression from an initial lab experiment to clinical activity all the while creating a thriving organization, with a unique and compelling culture that values innovation, inclusion, and making an impact on behalf of patients,” Menner said. “It’s been an amazing journey, especially to see the opportunity for patients and the potential to talk in curative terms.”

Menner arrived at the College of Human Ecology (CHE) to study in the department that would become Policy Analysis and Management and went on to graduate with an individual curriculum major in human relations, drawing from disciplines across the College and University. Menner said it was the unique approach to education that originally drew her to CHE.

“When I looked at other top schools, they took a very traditional approach to how the psychology and economics curricula were put together, whereas CHE was one of the few places that was set up in an applied and interdisciplinary way," she said. "It was an unbelievable opportunity to get practical exposure.”

After two years of working at a software startup, Menner returned to Cornell for a master’s in human resources and organizational behavior from the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. It was during this time that the loss of a family member realigned her future career goals.

“I’m not a scientist," she said. "I’m not going to be working in a lab developing therapies, so to feel like I have the ability to somehow, even indirectly, help patients with cancer and certainly other diseases as well, has been very motivating and rewarding for me.”

Before joining CRISPR Therapeutics, Menner spent eight years at Merck KGaA in key leadership roles, most recently as vice president and head of HR for the multibillion dollar life science business. Before that, she worked at Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, the global research division of the multinational pharmaceutical company based in Switzerland, serving as head of talent and culture development.

Menner said the leadership opportunities she had as a student in CHE were foundational for the experiences she’s had in executive leadership positions, which is part of why she is driven to give back to the school. Menner recently joined the President’s Council of Cornell Women as a member of the mentoring subcommittee.

“I would highly encourage alums to get involved. Connecting with students as a mentor, the really impressive women on the council, and what’s happening with the faculty has given me a far better understanding of how Cornell operates generally and during the pandemic," she said. "Cornell is really a very special place and the university greatly appreciates the alumni connection.”

Menner lives in the Boston area with her husband and three elementary school-aged children, who keep the pair busy with outdoor activities, sports and dance lessons.

Photo at top: Megan Wherry Menner ’96, M.S. ’03, senior vice president and head of Human Resources for CRISPR Therapeutics, in their Cambridge offices. Photo: Laura Nichols/Provided

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