Virginia Bio Welcomes New Members to its Board of Directors

RICHMOND, Va.--()--Virginia Bio, the premier statewide non-profit association representing life science industry in the Commonwealth of Virginia, elected five new members to their Board of Directors for a term of three years. The election took place in December at the Virginia Bio Annual Membership in Richmond, Virginia.

The newly elected members include: Elaine Horn-Ranney, co-founder and CEO of Tympanogen; Warren Martin, Partner Cherry Bekaert; John Niederhuber, CEO Inova Translational Medicine Institute; Chris Penet, Vice President BIO-CAT; Thomas Voss, Director of the Center for Infectious Diseases and Deputy Site Head of SRI Shenandoah Valley.

Jeff Conroy, Chairman of the Board said “These individuals represent strong leadership and extraordinary talent from across the Commonwealth and the life sciences industry. We are extremely happy to welcome them to the Board of VA BIO as we continue to build the Commonwealth of Virginia into a strong hub for entrepreneurial development and transformational products and technologies to improve human health.”

New Board Member Backgrounds

Elaine Horn-Ranney is the co-founder and CEO of Tympanogen, Inc., a Norfolk-based medical device company product is a gel patch for nonsurgical repair of eardrum perforations. She moved to Virginia in July 2014, and became a VA Bio member shortly thereafter. She earned both her BSE and PhD in biomedical engineering from Tulane University in New Orleans. As a VA Bio board member, she is excited to work to further elevate Virginia's profile as a bioscience hub.

Warren Martin is the leader of the Technology & Life Sciences practice for the Washington, D.C. office of Cherry Bekaert. He specializes in transaction advisory, risk management, and capital sourcing with clients in the technology and life sciences industry. Warren has also worked within the areas of manufacturing, distribution and financial services. Prior to joining the Firm, Warren was chief operating officer (COO) of an AMLAW 50 law firm with over 700 lawyers and 900 administrative staff. During his 20 years with a Big Four firm, he held multiple partner roles including managing their local technology assurance practice as well as leading financial advisory due diligence teams for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) with individual transaction values between $50 million to over $1 billion. Warren also cofounded a Virginia-based, NASD-registered broker/dealer investment bank, providing sellside M&A advisory services for technology and government contracting companies.

John E. Niederhuber, MD, is former Director of the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health and is presently an Executive Vice President of the Inova Health System and CEO of the Inova Translational Medicine Institute (ITMI). Dr. Niederhuber is also Adjunct Professor of Oncology and Surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and serves as Deputy-Director of the Johns Hopkins Clinical Research Network. A nationally renowned surgeon and researcher, Dr. Niederhuber has dedicated his career to the treatment and study of cancer. As a university professor, he held many administrative positions, including Department Chair, Associate Dean for Research, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and NCI-designated cancer center director. Dr. Niederhuber served as chair of the National Cancer Advisory Board, external advisor to the NCI, and has been a laboratory investigator supported by NCI and the NIH. He is the Senior Editor and a contributing author of the fifth edition of the textbook Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. Dr. Niederhuber is a member of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Christopher Penet is currently Vice President at BIO-CAT, located in Troy, VA where he oversees the strategic planning, research and regulatory efforts for the company. Prior to joining BIO-CAT, (an industrial and food enzyme company) Penet had a 20-year tenure with Genencor International (now DuPont) in Rochester, NY holding several positions including Global Industry Manager for the Food and Specialty Enzymes business unit. He holds several patents in the area of enzyme applications. He earned an M.S. in Food Science from the University of Georgia and has many years’ experience working with food product and ingredient development along with his 20+ years in industrial biotechnology where he led efforts in enzyme development and applications for the military and medical community as well.

Chris is also currently serving as a member of the Strategic Planning Committee for the Enzyme Technical Association as well as serving as a member of the Biotechnology Division of the Institute of Food Technologists. Chris enjoys mentoring young scientists and is an active member of the Food Science Industrial Advisory Board at the University of Georgia and has also served in similar roles at Texas A&M and Cornell University.

Thomas Voss, Ph.D., is Vice President SRI Biosciences, and Executive Director and Deputy Site Head at SRI International’s Shenandoah Valley Research Facility. A recognized leader in infectious disease research, Dr. Voss has deep expertise in virology, immunology, biodefense, from fundamental research to vaccine and drug development. His research interests include the study of the pathogenesis and transmission of acute viral diseases including influenza, MERS and SARS coronavirus, Dengue, Chikungunya, and the newly emerging Zika virus. Dr Voss’ work has led to the development and licensure of multiple antiviral drugs and vaccines currently used in humans. Dr. Voss joined SRI International in 2013 from the Tulane School of Medicine’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology, where he was an associate professor from 2005 to 2012. From 1998 to 2005, he worked in various roles at Southern Research Institute, ultimately as vice president of the Homeland Security and Emerging Infectious Disease Division. Voss is a member of several professional societies, including the International Society for Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses and the American Society for Microbiology. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from the University of Texas, and his Ph.D. degree in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Tulane University School of Medicine. Dr. Voss is the recipient of the American Society for Microbiology/National Center for Infectious Diseases Postdoctoral Research Associates Award, completing postdoctoral training in viral pathogenesis in the Special Pathogens Branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additional research training was completed at the University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland.

About Virginia Bio

Virginia Bio is the premier statewide non-profit trade association for life sciences, promoting the considerable scientific and economic impact of the life sciences industry in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginia Bio is an advocate for the biopharmaceutical and device industries among federal, state and local policy-makers. Virginia Bio is the official state affiliate of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), AdvaMed and the Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA) and also collaborates closely with the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) . To learn more, visit www.vabio.org.

Contacts

Media Representative for Virginia Bio:
Sherri Halloran
Vice President Membership and Programs
804-643-6360

Release Summary

Virginia Bio, the statewide trade assn. for the life sciences, welcomes five new members to it's board of directors: Elaine Horn-Ranney, Warren Martin, John Niederhuber, Chris Penet and Thomas Voss

Contacts

Media Representative for Virginia Bio:
Sherri Halloran
Vice President Membership and Programs
804-643-6360