News ItemNMBio Elects New Board Members

January 26, 2016 – 

The New Mexico Biotechnology and Biomedical Associated elected a new slate of officers for 2016 and added three new members to its Board of Directors at its annual meeting on Tuesday.

The new members are: Marie Longserre, President and CEO of the Santa Fe Business Incubator, Lisa Kuuttila, CEO and Chief Economic Development Officer for STC-UNM, and Wayne Laslie, CEO of Zocere, Inc.  The board has at least one other open position for 2016 to fill, according to Gregory R. Byrnes, the association’s new executive director. 

“We’re actively seeking a life science executive, successful entrepreneur or academic actively involved in tech transfer from the Las Cruses area to serve on our board,” he said.  “One of our major goals for 2016 is to expand our representation of the biotech sector throughout New Mexico.”

The board’s focus for the coming months will be on expanding the association’s membership, providing members with increased value through its cost saving preferred provider purchasing program, raising its visibility and having its advocacy voice head in Santa Fe and Washington, DC.

 “We’ll also work closely with the economic development community to help make and promote New Mexico as a premier location to establish, recruit or expand life science businesses,” Byrnes added.

Current Board members reelected for two-year terms include: Dr. Richard Larson, Executive Vice Chancellor and Vice Chancellor for Research at UNM Health Sciences Center; Stuart Rose, Founder of The BioScience Center and FatPipe ABQ; Jan Hickey, Chief, Clinical Manufacturing for the Coop Clinical Research Pharmacy; Shannon Sheehan, an expert in business and economic development who has facilitated the stat up of 23 companies; Janeen Vilven-Doggett, Partner, Peacock Myers PC, and Mark Burge, Professor of Medicine, Endocrinology, Metabolism and Deputy Director, UNM CTSC.

The association’s officers for 2016 are: Andrew Salazar, Director of Project Development, Technology Ventures Corp., will serve as President; Rick VanNess, Director of Product Management, TriCore Reference Laboratories, Vice President; Janeen Vilven-Doggett, Partner, Peacock Myers, PC., will serve as Secretary; and Michael Vickers, Director of Operations at Mass Biolab, will be treasurer. The officer positions are for one year.