Kleba announced as honorary degree recipient, keynote speaker at commencement

Dr. Betsy Kleba, vice president of product for cancer screening at Exact Sciences in Madison, Wisconsin, will receive an honorary degree and present a speech during Ripon’s commencement ceremony on May 18.

“I’m humbled and incredibly grateful for the opportunity to address a group of people who are about to embark on their professional journey,” Kleba said. “To me, it’s less about the honorary degree and more about getting a chance to be a part of starting people off on this exciting point of the next stage of their lives.”

Kleba has a background in academia as a professor at Westminster University and in the federal agency field as a scientist for the National Institutes of Health. She pivoted in her career when a personal contact was starting a business building software for clinical trials and large diagnostic laboratories and was looking for someone with connections in academia and government.

“I felt like I could use my know-how from working in an academic environment and in government laboratories to serve as a bridge and be a part of business development for this software company,” Kleba said. “I knew nothing about software, but I knew it would be a great opportunity for me to learn while leveraging my connections and expertise.”

A year after joining the software company, Exact Sciences acquired it and she has worked for Exact Sciences since.

Exact Sciences, according to their website, is a molecular diagnostics company that builds molecular diagnostic tests to either screen for the potential of having cancer or if you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, tests that help guide treatment options.

As vice president of product management, she develops commercial products for colorectal cancer screening working collaboratively with colleagues in research and development, clinical affairs, market access and the clinical laboratory and operations teams.

“I am a scientist at heart,” Kleba said. “And the scientist in me really enjoys learning and experimenting. The great thing about my job is that I get to learn and experiment every single day in this role. I leverage curiosity as a hook into both learning something new and contributing something useful. The common theme throughout my career is that I follow my curiosity into spaces that are completely new to me, adding new skills and experiences to my growing repertoire of capabilities.”

Kleba said her role is gratifying in the sense that she builds products that positively impact people’s lives.

“To be a part of something where you can actually quantify the impact you have on people’s health is really powerful for me,” Kleba said. “It’s an incredible privilege to work in molecular diagnostics with a team of people dedicated to eradicating cancer and the suffering it causes.”

Kleba said she hopes students explore every career option past college, encouraging them to embrace a wide range of possibilities and pursue their interests.

“What you do as your first job out of college does not pigeonhole you into any one career path or even job,” Kleba said. “It’s an opportunity to learn about yourself, learn about what’s important to you and learn about the kinds of work that you want to be engaged in. All of these experiences become important data points that inform your next steps and point you in the direction of your next opportunity. Be open and stay curious.”

Having worked in academia, Kleba said she thinks Ripon does a good job supporting its students in preparing not just work but also for a life outside of college.

“There is a commitment to inclusivity at Ripon College that resonates deeply with me, both in terms of supporting women in leadership roles, but also serving people who are coming from otherwise marginalized communities and giving them a voice and the space to develop,” Kleba said. “It’s Ripon College’s commitment to building resilient individuals and a robust community that paves the way for a brighter future for everyone.”

Kleba previously was senior director of pipeline development at Exact Sciences and also held positions at Sampleminded, Westminster College and the National Institutes of Health. Kleba received a Ph.D. in Infectious Diseases & Immunology from the University of California, Berkeley and a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Utah.