Cecilia Newcomb-Evans is a seasoned chemist and groundbreaking entrepreneur whose career spans nearly four decades in the pharmaceutical and laboratory sciences industries. As Senior Vice President and co-founder of Prompt Praxis Laboratories LLC, a fully integrated analytical and microbiology lab, Newcomb-Evans has dedicated herself to scientific innovation and advancing her industry. With a commitment to excellence, she has led Prompt Praxis Laboratories in developing over 120 validated test methods, each designed to support compounding pharmacies with rapid and reliable results. Through her inspiring journey from corporate roles to C-suite leadership, Newcomb-Evans has also become a mentor and advocate, particularly for young Black women, offering insights into self-worth, perseverance, and the importance of diversity in leadership.
What is your profession, what is your company name, what are your responsibilities and why did you select your career?
Professionally trained as a Chemist, the company name is Prompt Praxis Laboratories LLC. My responsibilities cover the following functions within PPL: human resources, quality assurance, information technology, and quality control. Cecilia was always interested in science so in high school she took 4 years of math and science. My junior year in high school Cecilia was in a summer program call Early Identification to introduce inner city students to careers in Engineering (Chemical, Electrical, Civil, and Metallurgy).
As a Black woman, what do you consider your superpower(s) to be?
My superpowers are determination, fortitude, and faith.
What key skills or qualities make you unique as an African American female leader?
Being a scientist working in corporate America was a challenge. Cecilia spent time outside of working hours enhancing her skills. Pay inequities, slower promotions, discrimination is real, especially for Black women. Sometimes it was tough to decipher if it is because I’m a woman or because I am Black. Tools for good leadership include communication, confidence, commitment, reliability, honesty, respectful, subject matter expert, good organization, time management, and willingness to learn. Cecilia took a leap of faith in 2011 and invested in herself. PPL has been in business for 13 years, with COVID-19 offering new and unique challenges to our small business, because of our commitment, we are still here!
What thoughtful or encouraging piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
Love yourself before you try to love anyone else. Self-love makes you able to love others, while maintaining appropriate boundaries. I didn’t always believe I was worthy, which led to poor choices in personal relationships. I eventually 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 from traditional leadership circles, allowing for more equitable decision-making, better understanding of marginalized communities, and a broader range of solutions to complex problems, while also serving as role models and breaking down systemic barriers for future generations; their presence is crucial for 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, she gave birth to twelve children and stepmother to five additional children. Although she never finished high school, she encouraged her children to get an education. When we turned eighteen, we were required to register and vote in every election. She exposed us to various religions believing once we were old enough, we could choose for ourselves. We had family game nights where we played games many she made up to foster learning (Bible trivia, presidents, and state capitals), monopoly, checkers, and connect 4. She was gentle, considerate, loving, and kind. My Mother influenced my approach to life and my family.
Why is it important for more experienced Black women to reach back and help younger women of color?
This allows younger women to learn from our experiences and hopefully avoid the pitfalls that plagued our career development. To act as a sounding board for ideas, advice, and coaching when needed.
Share 3 career highlights?
- Getting my first job at Baxter Healthcare right out of school as an Associate Scientist developing HPLC Methods for new drug products (NDAs).
- Relocating to Minnesota for Upsher Smith Laboratories managing eight Scientist developing and validation methods for Amended New Drug Applications (ANDAs = Generics).
- Starting Prompt Praxis Laboratories with three partners in 2011. Taking the leap of faith to rely on our own abilities and decisions.
As a successful woman in business, what is your greatest or proudest achievement?
Starting a business is a very deliberate decision. Having spent 28 years working at various companies, mostly in the pharmaceutical space, helped Cecilia to understand that to impact decisions she needed to be a member of the c-suite. That meant starting a business. PPL has developed and validated over 120 Ready-to-Analyze® test methods, these methods have been validated to a typical concentration range of 1 to 50 µg/mL with short run times facilitating rapid turnaround to support the compounding pharmacy industry.
Cecilia Newcomb-Evans and Munson Steed (Photo courtesy of Leo Allen)
Sisters with Superpowers (Photo courtesy of Leo Allen)
