Lisbeth Borbye, Ph.D., is a pioneer in alliance building between industry and universities and development of innovative, need-based instructional materials for students and professors. Dr.Borbye holds the positions of Assistant Dean for Professional Education at North Carolina State University and Director of the University of North Carolina’s System-wide Professional Science Master’s (PSM) Initiative. PSM programs seek to meet the needs for an improved graduate workforce in industry, non-profit organizations and government by providing interdisciplinary career-specific education with both depth and breadth. In addition, these degree programs bring important cultural changes to universities through collaboration with employers and inclusion of professional skills such as basic business skills, teamwork, leadership, effective communication, innovative thinking and entrepreneurship. Dr. Borbye is chairing university-wide, system-wide and national PSM advisory boards. She is the author of the books entitled “Secrets to Success in Industry Careers: Essential Skills for Science and Business” (Academic Press), and “Out of the Comfort Zone: New Ways to Teach, Learn, and Assess Essential Professional Skills” (Morgan & Claypool Publishers), and co-author of “Industry Immersion Learning: Real-Life Case Studies in Biotechnology and Business.”