Pearl Sullivan

Pearl Sullivan serves as the Associate Director, Growth and Engagement. In the role, she leads community engagement programs, including the $25 million Build Back Better Regional Challenge Accelerate NC grant, statewide as well as driving business development strategy and implementation. She joined NCBiotech in October 2024 as the Life Sciences Community Engagement Program Manager. 

Pearl’s background is in economic and workforce development. Prior to joining NCBiotech, she was an economic development analyst at RTI International, working with local, state, and federal clients as they pursued strategies and programs focused on equitable place-based development and innovation. She has experience in a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods informing workforce development and innovation program evaluation and strategy development.

Pearl completed her Masters in Gender, Development, and Globalisation from the London School of Economics, where her thesis focused on the impact of access to childcare on women’s labor force participation. She holds bachelor's degrees in International and Global Studies and Spanish, with minors in economics, political science, and Latin American studies, from Elon University.