The Top 50 Women Leaders of 2025

“These remarkable women have demonstrated the vision, adaptability, and collaborative approach necessary to guide their organizations through today’s complex challenges. They understand the importance of cultivating inclusive teams, encouraging innovation, and leading with both resilience and empathy. Through effective communication, mentorship, and a focus on long-term growth, they have created environments where individuals can thrive and perform at their best.”

LaToya’s profile:

LaToya Lee Jones
Partner, Quality + Compliance Lead, Diversity Chair Emeritus, Clarkston Consulting

LaToya Lee Jones is a partner at Clarkston Consulting. Her industry experience spans across pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, healthcare, consumer products, automotive, telecommunications, and industrial equipment. With clients primarily in the pharmaceutical, biotech, and life sciences industries, LaToya specializes in project and program management, as well as computer systems validation.

She has deep experience in business process development for and deployment of quality management systems, including Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS). She is also adept in business process optimization, organizational efficiency, training development and execution, change management, and talent development.

As Clarkston’s Diversity Chair Emeritus, LaToya has served as a leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion for the firm, as well as for her clients and peers. With a passion and deep expertise in DE+I, she has supported the growth of Clarkston’s DE+I services, helping clients develop innovative strategies to improve inclusivity and diversity in the workplace.

LaToya is a firm believer that diversity and a culture of belonging are critical to unleashing innovation and improving organizational effectiveness. She’s an active member of WOCIP, an organization dedicated to promoting the personal and professional development of women in the life sciences industry.

LaToya is also passionate about contributing to the larger consulting community. In 2025, for instance, LaToya spoke on a Women in Consulting panel and contributed to nearly a dozen pieces of thought leadership on top of her busy schedule. She’s also active in the larger life sciences professional industry, attending conferences and events across the U.S., such as LogiMed, WOCIP, America’s SAP  Users’ Group (ASUG), and Veeva.

LaToya holds a number of leadership positions within Clarkston Consulting, including Lead of the firm’s Quality and Compliance Service for Life Sciences. She earned her B.S. in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University.

Read the Full Article Here

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The 5 Biggest Challenges Facing Retail Pharmacy

“The front of store—health and beauty products, snacks, household goods—all continue to be squeezed by competition from big box stores, and the usual suspects like Amazon,” said David Patterson, associate partner at Clarkston Consulting. “I think as we’ve encountered increasing inflationary pressures, shoppers are looking to the Walmarts or the Costcos due to perceived savings.”

“I do think there’s plenty of room to automate.”

“When you look at the drug store space, many lag behind in terms of the omnichannel experiences that most shoppers expect at this point.”

“There are data security concerns that come with a lot of these new digital platforms, and the more of them that you offer, the more you have to maintain and keep secure.”

Read the Full Drug Store News Article Here

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How Fit Preference Is Reshaping the Apparel Economy

Cory Jackson, a senior manager with Clarkston Consulting and council member with the National Retail Federation, points to an even deeper shift: consumers increasingly consider how their clothing supports their identity — “what the product says about who I am,” as he puts it.

Consumers often buy impulsively, responding to the dopamine hit of products served by social media algorithms. However you slice it, the reality is that retailers face stiff competition from all angles. “Temu might have it cheaper,” Jackson notes. “How are you going to compete with an extremely discounted product that looks the same as yours?”

How do you gauge the efficacy of size and fit solutions in your digital stores? For Jackson, the litmus test is straightforward: its impact on conversions and returns. “Are your customers abandoning carts or ordering multiple sizes because they aren’t sure of fit? Is your fit/sizing solution reducing that behavior?” Jackson reasons. “You know you have a winning solution when customers stop complaining or asking questions related to fit and instead trust the solutions you have in place.”

See the Playbook Here 

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3PLs Keep the Beat

Supply chain and logistics leaders face an increasingly dynamic and volatile landscape. “We’re operating in an environment defined by geopolitical instability, accelerating digitalization, and rising regulatory and sustainability demands,” says Elizabeth McGuire, director and supply chain lead with Clarkston Consulting.

Logistics providers, like their clients, face a daunting, turbulent environment. Yet those that adjust their services to address today’s challenges by delivering solutions, such as advanced technology integration and real-time predictive visibility, set themselves up to gain a competitive edge. “Those who step up in these areas will become indispensable in helping clients navigate an increasingly uncertain supply chain environment,” McGuire says.

 Read the Full Inbound Logistics Article Here

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Conversational Experiences: The Untapped Potential of AI in Customer Engagement

“End-to-end seamless conversational experiences, often backed by AI, can elevate interactions with a brand.”

“The real business benefit is that, if done right, these conversational experiences can drive loyalty, which most retailers put a premium on.”

“[Brands] identify where the conversational touchpoints make the most sense. If you’re not engaging at the right time in the purchasing journey, you’ll miss the mark. Figuring out where personalization makes the most sense is where you should start.”

“A human agent can’t be fully replaced. There are still many support-type transactions that require some decision making that a chatbot can’t perfect or navigate quite yet.”

Read the Full HBR Report Here

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Bracing For The Impact Of The Federal Workforce Reduction

“Federal workforce reductions pose significant challenges for the life sciences industry, particularly in sectors like biotechnology, medicine, and biology. In this article, I’ll provide a snapshot of what to expect with how the current reduction in force at the FDA impacts your life sciences company and products.”

Read the Full Article Here

Also read on:

• bioprocessonline.com
• pharmaceuticalonline.com
• cellandgene.com
• meddeviceonline.com
• biosimilardevelopment.com

The post Clarkston Shares Guest Column on Federal Workforce Reduction Impacts the Life Sciences Industry appeared first on Clarkston Consulting.

A Road Map For Transitioning From A Research-Focused To Commercialization Mindset

“An organization spends years completing research and development (R&D), conducting clinical trials, and navigating regulatory hurdles — and then it’s time to prepare for commercialization. As the timeline for commercialization closes in, it’s necessary to best position the organization for a successful launch. Where to start? At once, organizations must consider how to launch their first product and prepare to subsequently scale operations to meet forecasted growth of product sales as well as the launches of future products. For a life sciences CEO and their leadership team, this requires shifting the organization’s mindset from one focused on R&D to a wider lens focused on commercialization.”

Read the Full Article Here

Also read on:

• biosimilardevelopment.com
• meddeviceonline.com
• cellandgene.com
• clinicalsupplyleader.com
• pharmaceuticalonline.com

The post Clarkston Shares Guest Column About Preparing for Commercialization appeared first on Clarkston Consulting.

AI Personal Shoppers Hunt Down Bargain Buys

“As AI agents start to take over the bulk of product discovery and the decision-making process, retailers must consider how to optimize for this new layer of AI shoppers,” said Elise Watson of Clarkston Consulting. Retailers are likely to be left groping in the dark when it comes to what makes a product attractive to AI agents, according to Watson.

Read the Full yahoo!tech Report Here

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Insights for Implementing Automation in the Lab

Automation is a boon for many labs, but implementing it can be a significant challenge. Following her insightful presentation at the recent Lab Manager Automation Digital Summit (now available on demand), Tina Yauger, principal consultant at Clarkston Consulting, sat down with Lab Manager to share more insights on how lab leaders can implement automation in their labs.

1. What are the essential factors of a cost analysis when calculating the ROI of an automated process?
2. What do you find to be the largest hurdle in gaining buy-in for automation from leadership? And lab staff? How do you address each?
3. Automation demands process standardization. How should a lab manager approach standardizing processes?
4. You have mentioned in the past that automation in R&D labs may inhibit innovation. How can R&D labs continue encouraging innovation without foregoing the benefits of automation?
5. With the advent of automation and AI, some workers are concerned about how these technologies will impact their job security. They cite the idea that even if an automated system cannot fully replace humans, it will displace enough workers that there will still be a net job loss. How would you recommend a lab manager address these concerns?
6. Bill Gates once said, “The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.” Do you agree with this take?
7. How do you envision AI changing the landscape of lab automation?

Read the Full Article Here

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Under Armour Posed to Weather Tariff Headwinds, Company Says

“Tariff policies are currently in constant flux, leaving retailers and consumer unnerved. For U.S. retailers, this can mean higher costs for imported goods, uncertainty in pricing, and a shift in consumer behavior.”

Read the Article

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The Top 50 Women Leaders of Sacramento for 2025

“The impact of women’s leadership on our profession cannot be overstated. It is one of the reasons Consulting magazine has endeavored to identify and recognize those individuals through the Women Leaders in Consulting awards. As a voice for our industry, we believe it is important to point out the success and leadership of these outstanding consultants as they make an increasingly profound difference for their firms, clients, future women leaders and entrants to the profession. In an industry overwhelmingly dominated by men, the women leaders of our industry play an immense role in growing our profession, keeping it nimble and moving it forward. Women Leaders in Consulting epitomize the character and leadership that make a measurable difference, not only for our industry as a whole, but for the up-and-coming women leaders we have yet had the honor of meeting.”

Read the Full Article Here

The post Clarkston’s Stacey Erickson Recognized by Women We Admire appeared first on Clarkston Consulting.

Looking Around Corners with Michelle Tartalio: Strategic Thinking in Today’s Supply Chains

Michelle highlighted that industry expertise is crucial to really get to the root of the challenge and determine a strategic direction:

“Every business needs a vision, strategic plan, competitive analysis. So there are things that are in that evergreen category, but I am a firm believer that industry expertise is very important and necessary. You could ask a pharmaceutical supply chain exec ‘Are you worried about your inventory levels?’ and you could ask a food company the same question. The answer in both cases would be yes, but the reasons would be very different. A food company would be thinking about products that are out of stock and consumer behavior and ultimately loosing consumer household loyalty which impacts revenue and feels like an emergency. If there is a product shortage on the pharma side, patients might not get life-saving treatments or medications which impacts communities at large. So, that’s where that industry expertise is really important in that strategy as well.”

When asked what drives her in current role, Michelle said:

“We’re delivering something amazing for a very specific segment of the market, and that is exciting – to try to find that match and to know that they’re going to be delighted! That just motivates me everyday, and we just got to keep finding the right matches [where we have the right expertise and where we know we can do a great job]. That’s what we’re looking for and that’s who we hope finds us, and when it works out, that’s so awesome.”

Listen to the Podcast Here

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