Maria Thacker Goethe, President & CEO, Georgia Life Sciences

In an interview with Focus:, Maria Thacker Goethe, President and CEO of Georgia Life Sciences, said that collaboration, workforce development, and strategic investment are critical to sustaining Georgia’s momentum in the life sciences sector. “Georgia has every ingredient necessary to lead — world-class academic institutions, diverse communities, available land, excellent weather, affordable living, and unmatched supply chain capacity. But without increased public investment, we risk falling behind. The opportunity is enormous, but it’s ours to lose if we don’t act decisively,” Thacker Goethe said.

What major changes have influenced Georgia Life Sciences’ top priorities and the way you engage with members and partners in the past year?

It’s truly been a year of growth and transformation for us as an organization. We began by rebranding, after more than 25 years as Georgia Bio, we became Georgia Life Sciences to better reflect our evolving ecosystem. The shift was driven by the growing inclusion of medical device and medtech partners alongside our traditional biotech base.

Today, the life sciences sector in Georgia contributes more than $33 billion to our state’s economy and includes nearly 4,000 companies and organizations. With that scale, our focus has been on strengthening connections across the full life sciences spectrum, from biotechnology and medical devices to agri-food and public health, particularly given our state’s unique proximity to the CDC.

Our goal is to ensure these communities are connected with one another and with the resources they need to grow, while also advocating for the policies and programs that enable their success. The past year has really been about deepening those connections and amplifying the collective voice of Georgia’s life sciences industry. 

What major national trends in the life sciences industry do you see having the biggest impact on Georgia in the next few years?

One of the biggest national shifts we’re seeing is the growing number of headwinds facing the life sciences industry. Federal policy changes and ongoing tariff uncertainties are contributing to investor caution, especially among early-stage companies. Even so, Georgia continues to experience strong growth in biomanufacturing, medical device production, and workforce development.

We’re fortunate to have an incredibly proactive Department of Economic Development that recognizes the sector’s potential. Nationally, there’s a major movement toward reshoring manufacturing — and Georgia is exceptionally well-positioned to benefit. We have the land, the infrastructure, and, most importantly, a skilled and diverse workforce supported by one of the nation’s strongest technical college systems. Together, these assets make Georgia a natural hub for the next wave of life sciences manufacturing and innovation.

What are some of the most effective strategies for building and retaining a skilled life sciences workforce in Georgia?

The demand for talent is outpacing supply, and with reshoring accelerating, that gap is only going to widen. To meet this challenge, we’re focused on building and retaining a skilled workforce through clear, connected career pathways that start in middle and high school and extend through higher education, particularly within our Technical College System.

Retention is just as important as recruitment. We’re working closely with employers to ensure that once talent enters the industry, they have opportunities for continuous learning and advancement, through professional development, stackable credentials, and partnerships that help companies grow and keep skilled workers here in Georgia.

We also play a leadership role nationally through the Life Sciences Workforce Collaborative, a nonprofit we helped found, to share best practices across states. Together with our strong bioscience training facilities and technical college partnerships, Georgia is not only meeting its workforce needs but helping shape the national conversation around life sciences workforce development.

Georgia is at a pivotal moment, as the convergence of healthtech, data, and traditional life sciences creates new opportunities for innovation and workforce development. One standout example is our Biotech Teacher Training Initiative, a public–private partnership with the Georgia Department of Education and the Technical College System of Georgia. Through this program, teachers gain hands-on exposure to biotechnology and bring those lessons back to their classrooms, helping students see clear, rewarding career pathways in life sciences. It’s changing perceptions about the industry and showing that manufacturing in our sector offers high-paying, high-impact careers.

Our Equipment Depot program is another great example. We collect surplus or landfill-bound lab equipment from industry partners and distribute it to schools across Georgia at no cost. This not only advances companies’ sustainability goals but also gives students access to hands-on lab experiences that were once out of reach. It’s a simple idea with an outsized impact on both education and industry engagement.

We’ve also launched the Life Sciences Manufacturing Forum, which brings together biopharma, medtech, diagnostics, and industrial biotech manufacturers to tackle shared workforce and growth challenges. The Forum’s Working Group is mapping critical workforce gaps, sharing best practices around recruitment, retention, and upskilling, and exploring opportunities for collective action through grants, incentives, and state or federal partnerships.

Finally, local collaboration has been essential to Georgia’s success. Communities like Johns Creek are emerging as life sciences hubs thanks to visionary local leadership and investment from companies like Boston Scientific, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, and Alcon. These partnerships, between local governments, education systems, and employers, are setting new standards for how ecosystem collaboration can power Georgia’s growth as a national leader in life sciences. 

What gaps still exist for early-stage life sciences companies in Georgia, and how are you working to address them?

Early-stage life sciences companies in Georgia still face several challenges. Talent remains a top concern, but access to funding and facilities is often the biggest hurdle. We’re addressing this by expanding our network of experienced entrepreneurs who mentor startups, helping companies navigate federal funding opportunities, and building stronger connections to investors.

We’re also working to amplify and support the academic programs at our research universities, which are the foundation for much of Georgia’s innovation. These institutions are producing breakthrough discoveries, and we want to ensure their ideas can translate into viable companies that grow here in Georgia.

Infrastructure remains a critical need. We’re fortunate to have Science Square and Portal Innovations supporting startup growth, but there’s still a gap for companies moving out of academic incubators that aren’t yet ready for expensive commercial space. Creating that affordable “next step” environment, and a more connected hub for early-stage companies, is one of our biggest opportunities moving forward. 

What are your top priorities to ensure Georgia not only keeps pace with growth but also emerges as a national leader in the life sciences sector?

I’m incredibly optimistic about where Georgia is headed. Over the next year, we’ll see political shifts with the upcoming gubernatorial election, which could shape the landscape in meaningful ways. At the same time, we’re seeing tremendous momentum in manufacturing and continued breakthroughs across our research universities, making industry–academic collaboration a top priority.

As an association, we’re focused on amplifying Georgia’s voice at both the state and federal levels, especially in our role as trusted advisers to policymakers. One of our most ambitious initiatives this year is the creation of Georgia’s first-ever Life Sciences Ecosystem Roadmap, a comprehensive plan designed to position Georgia as a national leader in MedTech and biotech innovation. The roadmap will identify the gaps and opportunities needed to advance commercialization, strengthen the workforce, enhance infrastructure, and increase access to capital.

While Georgia’s life sciences industry is growing rapidly, we still lack a cohesive strategy to compete with states like North Carolina, and even Tennessee, which is quickly gaining ground through bold public investments. That’s why we’re engaging leaders from industry, academia, and economic development statewide to shape a shared vision for 2026 and beyond. Georgia truly has every ingredient for leadership, world-class research institutions, diverse communities, available land, a strong supply chain, and an outstanding quality of life. The opportunity is enormous — but realizing it will take collective action and sustained investment.