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| Joan Pestka Founder & Executive Manager Joan Pestka co-founded PBL Assay Science in 1990 alongside her husband, Dr. Sidney Pestka. From the very beginning, Joan played an essential and hands-on role in building the company. While Dr. Pestka maintained his full-time academic responsibilities, she single-handedly managed every aspect of daily operations. Her responsibilities spanned purchasing, accounting, and collections; payroll, insurance, and employee benefits; human resources; product preparation, shipping, and receiving; as well as sales, customer service, and technical support. Her dedication and guidance during these formative years laid the foundation for PBL’s values and long-term success. As the company grew and her son Robert Pestka joined the team a few years later, Ms. Pestka was gradually able to delegate many of these duties, allowing her to guide the business through its next stages of development. Prior to founding PBL, Ms. Pestka taught high school mathematics and held research and administrative roles in the psychology departments of the University of Pennsylvania, American University, and George Washington University. She holds a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from American University and a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from the University of Michigan, with minors in Psychology and Physics & Chemistry. |