Laura Helms Reece

Recognized as a “Top Businesswoman” by the Triangle Business Journal and a graduate of Harvard Business School’s prestigious Owner/President Management Program, Dr. Laura Helms Reece has overseen commercial operations and business development as Rho’s CEO since 2011.

With a combination of strategic vision and business acumen, Dr. Helms Reece has helped seamlessly transition a family-run business into its next generation through a service model expansion that remains true to Rho’s core values and lays the groundwork for a strong and impactful future. Focused on building a business that provides exceptional customer service and is known as a haven for extraordinary talent, Dr. Helms Reece ensures that Rho is a company that truly changes what it means to work with a CRO.

After cutting her teeth in clinical research as a Data Processor at Rho in 1991, Dr. Helms Reece spent time at both AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline before returning to Rho as a Biostatistician and eventual CEO. Acknowledging that the education she received dramatically influenced her career, as well as being a mother of two young girls, Dr. Helms Reece is passionate about education equality and serves on the Durham Public School Foundation Board and as one of the co-chairs of its digital equity campaign.

Committed to giving back to the Triangle community and public school system, Dr. Helms Reece regularly gives her time to help local organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, United Way, March of Dimes, and the Durham Center for Child and Family Health. She is also a member of the inaugural Board of Advisors for The Durham Compact, an organization committed to forging corporate strategic alliances to build a more equitable city. Additionally, she served on the Gillings School of Public Health Foundation Board for nine years. When her term-limit expired she transferred to the Gillings Advisory Board.

Dr. Helms Reece earned her Bachelor of Science, Masters and Doctorate in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.