Our Vision: A future where humanity can detect, prevent, and stop disease outbreaks before they become pandemics.
Blueprint Biosecurity advances pathogen-agnostic countermeasures by building the evidence base for promising technologies, developing pathways for implementation, and supporting real-world deployment in partnership with government, academia, industry, and philanthropy.
Founded
Funding Raised & Committed
Team Size
Our Work at a Glance
These figures reflect the scale and capacity behind Blueprint Biosecurity’s work, detailed in the annual report, which highlights progress in building the evidence base for countermeasures that can help society detect, prevent, and respond to future pandemics.
Meet the Team
Executive Director
Jake Swett
Dr. Jacob Swett serves as Executive Director and founder of Blueprint Biosecurity, a nonprofit dedicated to achieving breakthroughs in humanity’s ability to suppress pathogens. Drawing from a diverse background spanning scientific research, technology R&D, and political strategy, he is considered a leading voice in the biosecurity community.
Jake founded Blueprint directly after his experience shaping the Apollo Program for Biodefense, a report published in the wake of COVID-19 by the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense. Anchored by Jake’s guidance, the report laid out an ambitious plan for overhauling America’s layers of defense against pandemics. Blueprint was founded to continue this work in the US and abroad.
Jake received a PhD in nanotechnology from the University of Oxford and bachelor’s degrees in physics and applied mathematics from Missouri State University. Before Blueprint, he cofounded a research nonprofit called altLabs and was a research scientist at Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Center. He has contributed to over 70 articles and patents and authored op-eds for the New York Times and STAT.
Chief Operating Officer
Siobhan Brenton
Siobhan Brenton is the Chief Operating Officer at Blueprint Biosecurity, where she oversees the organization’s business operations, HR, finance, communications, and stakeholder development. Siobhan brings over seven years of operational experience across project management, strategic development, finance, and grantmaking logistics. In her most recent role leading operations at Rethink Charity, Siobhan spearheaded the development of their fiscal sponsorship program to provide operational support to new initiatives while they focus on their core missions. She has a passion for implementing solutions to complex problems and has helped launch multiple charities in the US and Canada.
Siobhan received a bachelor’s degree in nutritional biochemistry from Memorial University of Newfoundland and a Master of International Public Health degree from the University of New South Wales.
Chief of Staff to the COO
Lesley Marling
Lesley Marling is the Chief of Staff at Blueprint Biosecurity, with over a decade of experience building systems that help mission-driven teams thrive. She has led hiring, developed inclusive people practices, and created day-to-day operations that keep things running smoothly. Before joining Blueprint, she supported staff and streamlined operations as Vice President at ComplianceDashboard. She has also held administrative and operations roles at Mission Asset Fund, Academy for Precision Learning, and Rapha International. Lesley is passionate about creating environments where people feel valued and supported to do their best work.
Lesley received a Bachelor’s in Sociology from Missouri Southern State University and a Masters of Public Administration, Non-profit Management from Indiana University.
PPE Program Director
Victoria Slaughter
Victoria Slaughter is the PPE Director at Blueprint Biosecurity, where she works to develop and implement strategies that improve the availability of robust and innovative personal protective equipment to prevent and mitigate future pandemics.
Victoria is a cell and molecular biologist by training and has more than six years of experience as an R&D scientist, focusing on using biotechnology to improve human health and animal wellbeing. Previously, she worked to develop in vitro human-on-a-chip models to support precision medicine and reduce animal testing, specifically focused on metabolic disease. Most recently, she has led Upstream Development work at Biomilq, a startup aiming to produce components of human breast milk outside the body to improve infant nutrition options and lower the environmental burden of infant formula. Her experience with emerging technologies has led her to prioritize biosecurity and work to respond to the threat of novel pandemics.
Victoria has a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and a master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Central Florida.
Built Environment Program Director
Brian Renda
Brian Renda is the Director for the far-UVC program at Blueprint Biosecurity, a five-year effort to build the evidence, tools, and partnerships needed for the safe, large-scale deployment of far-UVC light to curb airborne disease transmission.
Prior to joining Blueprint, Brian spent nine years working across a number of technical and commercial roles at Ginkgo Bioworks in Boston, MA. These positions included serving as Director of Corporate Development, where he led and closed multi-million-dollar M&A and other transactions across the industrial biotech, biopharma, AI, and ag-biologics spaces. During his tenure at Ginkgo, Brian also held roles in strategy, product management, biosecurity, alliance management, and as a bench scientist. Brian is also an active member of the biosecurity community and a member of the 2019 Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Initiative (ELBI) class.
Brian holds a PhD in Cell & Molecular Biology from the University of Texas at Austin.
Government Affairs Director
Sabah Ghulamali
Sabah Ghulamali is the Government Affairs Director at Blueprint Biosecurity, bringing a decade of public health and biosecurity policy experience. She was previously a Senior Advisor in the Department of Health and Human Services, covering policies related to biosecurity and biosafety, biomedical research and development, public health, and more. Prior to that, Sabah was a professional staffer on the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee, focusing on legislative authorities for CDC, ASPR, NIH, and ARPA-H. During her tenure on HELP, Sabah worked on multiple significant pieces of bipartisan legislation, including the PREVENT Pandemics Act, the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act of 2019, the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Response Act, and the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. Prior to her time on the Hill, Sabah was at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, crafting policy solutions for issues ranging from infectious disease outbreaks to high-consequence pathogens to the opioid overdose epidemic.
Sabah received a bachelor’s degree in gender studies from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and a Master of Public Health from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.
Communications Director
Sami Leonardo
Sami Leonardo is the Communications Director at Blueprint Biosecurity, where she leads the organization’s communications strategy and execution. She brings nearly a decade of experience in the health and life sciences sector, developing and executing communications and advocacy strategies for biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, trade organizations, government agencies, and political organizations. Her expertise includes product and pipeline communications, patient advocacy, reputational communications, and policy communications.
Before joining Blueprint, Sami worked in healthcare consulting, where she led campaigns and patient advocacy initiatives across oncology, rare disease, and pipeline assets. Prior to her consulting work, she served in several roles as a Presidential Appointee at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, most notably as Press Secretary for the COVID-19 Joint Information Center during the federal pandemic response. Earlier in her career, she led the healthcare policy communications portfolio at the Republican National Committee, producing research briefings that shaped national policy conversations.
Sami holds a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Spanish.
Senior Fellow
Richard Williamson
Richard Williamson is a Senior Fellow at Blueprint Biosecurity, providing subject matter expertise and strategic input across Blueprint’s programs.
He brings over a decade of leadership experience across strategy consulting, finance, strategic sourcing, and operational supply chains. Witnessing firsthand the disruption of Covid-19, Richard redirected his private-sector expertise toward biosecurity and pandemic preparedness. Prior to joining Blueprint, he was Head of Technical Operations at Alvea, a biotech startup, where he also served on the R&D leadership team. Earlier in his career, Richard led strategic sourcing teams at two of the UK’s largest supermarkets, diving deep into complex value chains and re-engineering supply chains for greater efficiency.
He holds a bachelor’s degree with first-class honors in philosophy, politics, and economics from the University of Oxford.
Senior Researcher
Stephen Martin
Steve Martin is a Senior Researcher at Blueprint Biosecurity, where he studies a wide range of emerging and innovative methods to prevent pandemics. He retired from the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service after 28+ years with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Steve worked on laboratory and field-based projects related to respirator filter and unit performance, ventilation systems and other engineering controls, environmental tractor cab filter performance and cab integrity testing, improving indoor air quality, and air/surface disinfection with germicidal ultraviolet.
Steve co-led CDC’s ventilation team during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was involved with CDC/NIOSH emergency responses to the 2001 anthrax attacks, the original Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak in Asia, hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the BP oil spill, and preparing U.S. hospitals to receive Ebola patients during outbreaks in western Africa. He also led several tuberculosis outbreak investigations and prevention studies in jails, prisons, and homeless shelters. Steve led the Filtration and Disinfection Team of the ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force formed early in the COVID-19 pandemic to provide critical ventilation guidance. He currently leads the Air Cleaning Working Group for ASHRAE Standard 241: Control of Infectious Aerosols. He is an original member and past chair of the ASHRAE Technical Committee on Ultraviolet Air and Surface Disinfection (TC 2.9).
Steve received his PhD in Architectural Engineering (mechanical systems focus) from The Pennsylvania State University. He holds a MS degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Delaware and a BS in Chemical Engineering from West Virginia University. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of West Virginia.
Researcher
Darryl Angel
Darryl Angel is a Researcher at Blueprint Biosecurity, where she guides the investigation and strategic implementation of promising technologies to mitigate future pandemics.
Prior to joining Blueprint Biosecurity, Darryl spent the past decade conducting research in environmental microbiology laboratories within the academic sector, managing and executing projects both independently and in collaborative efforts across scientific, engineering, and healthcare disciplines. Her previous work has focused on antimony-driven biogeochemical cycles as well as the detection and mitigation of airborne viruses in the built environment. Most recently, she co-led a project evaluating the susceptibility of SARS-CoV-2 aerosols to far-UVC–driven inactivation while serving as a graduate researcher at Yale University. Darryl is passionate about advancing impactful technological investigations and roadmaps that strengthen society’s preparedness against biosecurity threats.
Darryl holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Chemical and Environmental Engineering from Yale University, as well as a B.S. in Environmental Science and a B.A. in Geography: Computer Applications in Human-Environmental Analysis from Binghamton University.
Senior Policy Analyst
Carolyn McCoy
Carolyn McCoy is a Senior Policy Analyst and provides strategic support to the government affairs work of Blueprint Biosecurity, bringing over two decades of experience in public health policy, advocacy, and emergency preparedness. She brings extensive expertise in stakeholder engagement, federal government relations, and strategic consulting across the public health and biomedical sectors.
Most recently, Carolyn served as Director of External Affairs at the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she established leadership in stakeholder engagement and served as ASPR’s primary liaison to public health partners and government agencies. Prior to federal service, she founded Sail Upstream, LLC, providing strategic consulting for clients in the public health and biomedical arenas.
Carolyn spent six years as Senior Director of Federal Government Relations at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), where she successfully secured billions of dollars in COVID-19 funding for state and territorial health departments. She has also held senior policy positions at the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs and the National Association of County and City Health Officials. During the H1N1 pandemic, she served as an Emergency Operations Officer at the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization, overseeing resource mobilization for member countries in the Emergency Operations Center.
Carolyn holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master of Public Health from UCLA. She serves on the Board of Directors for La Clínica del Pueblo and is based in Washington, D.C.
Senior Policy Analyst
Madison Walter-Garcia
Madison Walter-Garcia is a Senior Policy Analyst at Blueprint Biosecurity, where she provides strategic support and expertise in government affairs and external engagement. She brings more than a decade of experience in public health policy, stakeholder engagement, and communications.
Most recently, Madison served as Associate Director for Partnerships in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases, where she strengthened relationships with key strategic partners and advanced cross-sector collaborations to support national public health initiatives. Previously, she was the Partnerships Lead for CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force and a Policy Analyst in the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. She also served as a policy and communications specialist in CDC’s Division of Global Health Protection, focusing on global health security.
Madison holds dual B.A. and B.S. degrees in biology, history, and sociology with a concentration in medical humanities from Wofford College, as well as a Master of Public Health from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.
Operations and Events Associate
Alice Fine
Alice Fine is the Operations and Events Associate at Blueprint Biosecurity, where she provides administrative support across the organization and oversees event planning and execution.
Previously, Alice was part of the People Operations team at Mercy For Animals, helping to create and maintain a supportive and rewarding work environment while ensuring compliance across two countries and numerous states. Throughout her work, Alice has focused on creating innovative and thorough policies and procedures that are sensitive to the needs and priorities of the team.
Alice received a bachelor’s degree in advocacy and social change from the Loyola University Chicago School of Communication.
Far-UVC Program Officer
Kelsey Quinn
Kelsey Quinn is the Program Officer for far-UVC at Blueprint Biosecurity, where she supports research, education, and deployment efforts to advance far-UVC as a tool for pandemic preparedness and response.
Prior to joining Blueprint, Kelsey led the Tech Sovereignty & Security portfolio at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, where she covered U.S.-China technology competition, frontier AI governance, and the geopolitical dimensions of emerging technologies. That work deepened her interest in disruptive technologies with the potential to fundamentally change the paradigm around the problems they aim to solve, and shaped how she thinks about gaps in pandemic preparedness and response. She is motivated to help strengthen society's ability to prepare for and respond to pandemics.
Kelsey holds a Master's degree in Security and Terrorism Studies and a Bachelor's degree in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, with a minor in Global Terrorism.
PPE Program Officer
Elisa Cink
Elisa Cink is the Program Officer for PPE at Blueprint Biosecurity, where she supports the program's work to advance the availability and accessibility of highly protective respiratory PPE for future outbreaks through applied research, roadmapping, and strategic grantmaking.
Elisa is an infectious disease epidemiologist with experience spanning biodefense policy, biosurveillance, and public health preparedness. Prior to joining Blueprint, she was an Antimicrobial Resistance Epidemiologist and Regional Coordinator at the California Department of Public Health, where she supported AMR surveillance and the response to drug-resistant bacterial and fungal outbreaks. Earlier, as a graduate intern at the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, she contributed to national strategies for biosurveillance, biological weapons countermeasures, and emerging biotechnologies. She also interned at the HHS Office of Global Affairs – Office of Pandemics and Emerging Threats, supporting the U.S. government's National Focal Point for outbreak alerts. During graduate school, Elisa was a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, where she studied biological weapon disinformation and its impact on public health preparedness. She is motivated to strengthen societal resilience to pandemics.
Elisa holds a Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) in Global Disease Epidemiology and Control and a Certificate in Public Health Preparedness from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a B.A. in Community Health and Biology from Tufts University.
Careers at Blueprint Biosecurity
Interested in contributing to Blueprint Biosecurity’s work? Learn more about current opportunities.