SWS award winner Cecilia Newcomb-Evans breaks down barriers in science and business

Cecilia Newcomb-Evans is a seasoned chemist and groundbreaking entrepreneur whose career spans nearly four decades in the pharmaceutical and laboratory science industries. As Senior Vice President and co-founder of Prompt Praxis Laboratories LLC, a fully integrated analytical and microbiology laboratory, Newcomb-Evans is dedicated to scientific innovation and advancing his industry. With a commitment to excellence, Prompt has led Praxis Laboratories to develop more than 120 validated testing methods, each designed to support connecting pharmacies with fast and reliable results. Throughout her inspiring journey from corporate roles to senior leadership, Newcomb-Evans has become a mentor and advocate, especially for young Black women, offering insights on self-worth, perseverance, and the importance of diversity in leadership.

What is your profession, what is the name of your company, what are your responsibilities and why did you choose your career?

Professionally trained as a chemist, the company’s name is Prompt Praxis Laboratories LLC. My responsibilities include the following functions within PPL: human resources, quality assurance, information technology and quality control. Cecilia was always interested in science, so she took math and science classes for 4 years in high school. My junior year in high school, Cecilia was in a summer program called Early Identification to expose inner-city students to careers in Engineering (Chemistry, Electrical, Civil, and Metallurgy).

What do you think as a black woman? superpower(s) to be?

My superpowers are determination, grit and faith.

What are the key skills or qualities that make you unique as an African American female leader?

Being a scientist working in corporate America was difficult. Outside of working hours, Cecilia spent time developing her skills. Pay disparities, slow promotions, and discrimination are real, especially for Black women. Sometimes it was hard to figure out whether it was because I was a woman or because I was Black. Tools of good leadership include communication, trust, commitment, reliability, honesty, respectful, subject matter expert, good organization, time management and willingness to learn. In 2011, Cecilia took a leap of faith and invested in herself. PPL has been in business for 13 years and COVID-19 presents new and unique challenges to our small businesses, we are still here because of our commitment!

What thoughtful or encouraging advice would you give to your younger self?

Love yourself before trying to love someone else. Self-love allows you to love others while maintaining appropriate boundaries. I didn’t always believe I was valuable, which led to poor choices in personal relationships. I finally learned my value.

Why is it important for women of color to work in leadership roles and decision-making capacities?

I found this explanation online and it answers the question perfectly. “Women of color in leadership roles are important because they bring diverse perspectives, lived experiences, and insights that are often missing in traditional leadership circles, allowing for more equitable decision-making, better understanding of marginalized communities, and a broader range of solutions to problems. solving complex problems as well as serving as role models and breaking down systemic barriers for future generations; their presence is crucial to achieving true diversity and inclusion in leadership positions.”

If you could thank any Black woman for her contributions to history and society, who would it be and why?

My mother, Hattie Newcomb, gave birth to twelve children, and my stepmother gave birth to five more. Although he never finished high school, he encouraged his children to get an education. Once we turned eighteen, we had to register and vote in every election. He introduced us to various religions, believing that once we were old enough we would be able to choose for ourselves. We had family game nights where we played games he made up to promote learning (bible information, presidents and state capitals), monopoly, checkers, and connection 4. He was kind, thoughtful, loving and gentle. My mother influenced my perspective on life and my family.

Why is it important for more experienced Black women to go back and help young women of color?

This allows young women to learn from our experiences and hopefully avoid the pitfalls that hinder our career advancement. Serving as a sounding board for ideas, advice and coaching as needed.

Share 3 highlights of your career?

1. Immediately after graduating from school, I got my first job at Baxter Healthcare as an Associate Scientist developing HPLC Methods for new drug products (NDAs).
2. We are moving to Minnesota for Upsher Smith Laboratories, which manages eight Scientist development and validation methods for Modified New Drug Applications (ANDAs = Generics).
3. We founded Prompt Praxis Laboratories with three partners in 2011. Taking a leap of faith to trust our own abilities and decisions.

What is your greatest or proudest accomplishment as a successful woman in business?

Starting a business is a very deliberate decision. Having worked for 28 years in various companies, mostly in the pharmaceutical field, helped Cecilia understand that she needed to be a senior executive to influence decisions. This meant starting a business. PPL has developed and validated more than 120 Ready-to-Analyze® test methods; these methods have been validated over a typical concentration range of 1 to 50 µg/mL with short run times facilitating rapid turnaround to support the compounding pharmacy industry.