About Us
About ICAA Boston
Founded in 2012. Reborn with Purpose.
"We started ICAA Boston because too many talented people were locked out of careers they were more than capable of doing. We are opening that door."
Dr. Leona Saunders
ICAA Boston, Inner City Academic Achievers, was founded in 2012 as a youth program built on a single conviction: To be the leading catalyst for equitable access to biotechnology and pharmaceutical careers, transforming the South Shore and Greater Boston into a vibrant hub of innovation and opportunity where every individual, regardless of their background, can achieve their full professional potential through our advanced training at the Holbrook Annex.
Over the past decade, the organization has grown alongside the people it serves. Today, ICAA Boston is a full workforce development nonprofit preparing residents of the South Shore, from teenagers to mid-career changers, for sustained, well-paying careers in biomanufacturing, regulatory affairs, and the broader life sciences.
Our model is simple and uncompromising: real equipment, real instructors, real employer connections. No shortcuts. No theater. Just preparation for jobs that change lives.
Founder & Executive Director
- Doctorate, Life Sciences
- 19 years teaching at Northeastern University
- 25+ years FDA regulatory experience
- Industry advisor & workforce strategist
A Career Spent Opening Doors
Dr. Leona Saunders has spent her career at the intersection of science, regulation, and education. She has trained thousands of students at Northeastern University and advised pharmaceutical and biotech companies on FDA strategy across drug development.
She founded ICAA Boston after seeing the same pattern repeat itself: talented residents of the South Shore, many of them Black, Latino, immigrant, or first- generation, locked out of life sciences careers not by ability, but by access. The Holbrook Annex is her answer.
"I built this program around what I actually wished I had when I was starting out," she says. "Hands-on training. Real mentorship. People who believe in you before you've earned a degree."
Certifications and Affiliations
- 501(c)(3) Registered Nonprofit Organization
- Massachusetts Workforce Partner
- Northeastern University academic collaboration
- Holbrook Annex, South Shore biomanufacturing facility
- FDA regulatory affairs curriculum certified instructor
- BSL-1 and BSL-2 training compliant facility