Mickey Katz-Pek
Mickey Katz-Pek
The Women’s Center of Southeastern Michigan
2022 Honoree
Jean Ledwith King Award
Mickey Katz-Pek is one of The Women’s Center’s founding members. She is a community leader, activist, and entrepreneur extraordinaire. Mickey is well known in our community as a “kick-starter.” She has put her heart, her energies, and her financial acumen into helping women to become their best selves.
Mickey’s career spans almost six decades. She still loves a challenge. If there’s a problem, she’ll try her best to find a way to solve it. If there’s a new opportunity that she finds worthwhile, she’ll give it everything she’s got to make it successful.
Mickey’s Passionate and Personal Connection to The Women’s Center
In 2000, Mickey was asked by three social workers to help create The Women’s Center out of the remnants of a previous organization, Soundings, where Mickey had been on the advisory board. She agreed because she felt compelled to help women, who like herself, needed emotional support and practical assistance to achieve their potential. She agreed because she struggled for years to find help for an older sister with moderate mental health issues. And she agreed because she was taught by her mother and grandmother that you can’t walk through life “taking,” but that you needed to give something back. The Women’s Center’s mission to encourage individuals to discover and amplify their inherent strengths was her chance to do so.
Professional Path
Mickey speaks appreciatively about a rabbi who recognized her plight (19 and pregnant) and offered her a position as secretary at the Hillel Foundation in Columbia, MO—her first experience with a non-profit organization. The rabbi was probably the first to recognize that one of the smartest moves that they could make would be to have Mickey on their team.
Mickey’s first husband was sent to Vietnam a few weeks after their second child arrived; upon his return, they were attracted to the University of Michigan, where he began a doctoral program and Mickey spent the next 17 years in academic administration at the medical school. During this period, Mickey worked her way up in a male-dominated field to become the first female Administrative Manager at the U of M Medical School. Having developed a keen interest in translational research, she went on to become a Co-Founder and President of BioQuant, Inc., one of the first biotechnology companies in Michigan in 1986.
When BioQuant merged with a west-coast company, Mickey founded Biotechnology Business Consultants (BBC) in 1990 and provided expertise to life-science entrepreneurs across Michigan. In 1997, she and business partner, Lisa Kurek, expanded BBC into a national consultancy. Mickey retired in 2006 but maintained a foundational presence in biotechnology, currently known as BBC Entrepreneurial Training and Consulting.
Between 1981-1993 Mickey was also an active volunteer with the American Diabetes Association, co-creating the Washtenaw County chapter and becoming its first Chairperson; then the ADA Michigan Affiliate’s Treasurer; and ultimately a member of the National Board.
In 1995, she served as Chairperson of the Michigan Center for High Technology. Between 2002-2008 she was on the Board and then Chairperson of the Long-Term Development Finance Authority for the cities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. During 2012-2015, she came out of retirement to became President and CEO of Accumed Systems, Inc., a long-term client of BBC, as she managed their successful turnaround. Simultaneously, she spent 17 years on the Board of Directors of Ann Arbor Commerce Bank and, in 2007, joined NSF International Holdings Board of Directors; she continues to serve in that capacity today.
Along the way, Mickey has been acknowledged as one of Michigan’s top 10 businesswomen from the National Association of Women Business Owners, Greater Detroit Chapter; and she has twice been listed as one of Detroit’s Most Influential Women (1997 and 2002) by Crain’s Detroit. In 1991, she co-founded MichBio, a biotech industry organization providing access to resources, information, and advocacy and in 2018 was a recipient of one of 10 inaugural Michigan Bioscience Pantheon awardees. She has trained many entrepreneurs throughout the country on grant writing, technology transfer, and women and minorities in science careers.
In 1980 Mickey married Sumer Pek, MD, Professor Emeritus at Michigan Medicine. She and Sumer have donated generously throughout the years and have tirelessly encouraged others to support The Women’s Center.
In 2014, The Women’s Center experienced a financial crisis, and the staff appealed to Mickey for help in carrying out a new service delivery model. She offered to work full-time for a year without compensation, and took on any responsibility that was necessary, including Board Chair once again. She donated her time, business expertise, and financial resources. Working with a team of dedicated staff, funders, and volunteers, a business plan was created for an organizational restructure. The plan ensured that The Women’s Center would continue as a vibrant and vital resource that helps level the playing field for individuals to succeed. Mickey also set up a Legacy Fund that helped carry the Center through tough economic times.