Team Member Tuesday: Michael Nold

While I was working on my Ph.D. in 1993, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully, she is now a healthy 91-year-old, but at the time, it was really hard on me. I am a big sports guy, and NC State basketball coach, Jimmy Valvano, was diagnosed with cancer around the same time. Less than two months before he passed, Jimmy gave an acceptance speech at the ESPY Awards, announcing his creation of a cancer research organization, with the motto “Don’t give up... Don’t ever give up.” That speech changed my life. It brought me back to my mom and the way we dealt with the situation we were in.

In Jimmy’s speech, we were moved to tears as he talked about living a life you love with the people you love. He had this excitement for life that got me thinking... why did I get into this career field in the first place? Jimmy's speech and the current circumstances of my life ignited a fire within me, which grew into a passion for the work in mass spectrometry and fighting cancer.

Ever since that moment, I have done my best to bring passion into everything I do. I am passionate about my family, my work, my team, and the people I am trying to help. When I ask myself why I chose KBI, it's because it got me closer to my passion for fighting cancer. We are manufacturing products that are going into the patient; how can I not be attracted to something that ignites that passion and helps people? Life is short and I don't plan on wasting it.

Because we are such a specialized part of the biopharma industry, working on a variety of projects that affect people's lives, there can be a feeling of pressure sometimes. When faced with this pressure to succeed in order to help others, your team unit must be strong, resilient, and always there for one another. My team is committed to helping each other achieve goals, find success, and ultimately provide clients with high-quality results and support.

Every person on the team is very driven and has specialized career interests. As we shuffle responsibilities to meet the needs of the team or hire new people, we make sure each team member is well-rounded and that they are working on what they are interested in, while still doing what is in the best interest of the company. This group is adaptable and their willingness to support the person next to them is incredible. These things are beyond standard professionalism, and that's why I love being a part of this team.

I learned quickly that my team feeds off of passion, positivity, and vulnerability; and they deserve that from their leader. I am fortunate that my team allows me to invest my time and interest into their lives and who they are as people. It helps me feel fulfilled. 

At KBI, I get to be the person I’ve always wanted to be while working on the science I love. While Jimmy Valvano couldn’t benefit from the organization that he established, he said, "Maybe my children or your children will be saved from the money and research that is coming from this organization now." In some way, each of us has been affected by cancer. As I get closer to the end of my career, I want to finish it off by working with others that share the same passion, and hopefully pass some of that excitement for our work and innovation in the industry along to future generations. There are millions of patients out there that we will never meet, but that we have dedicated our careers to.


What brings you joy outside of work?