MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LifeScience Alley announces the election of the following officers to its board of directors: Kathleen Chester, vice president of global regulatory affairs and corporate officer, St. Jude Medical, Inc.; Todd Fruchterman, MD, PhD, senior vice president of research and development and regulatory affairs, chief technology officer and chief medical officer, 3M Health Care; Brian Herman, PhD, vice president for research, University of Minnesota; Rick Kuntz, MD, senior vice president for strategy and scientific operations, chief scientific, clinical and regulatory officer, Medtronic, Inc. and Jeff Mirviss, senior vice president and president, Peripheral Interventions, Boston Scientific Corporation. In addition, current board vice chair Stephen Snyder - vice president marketing, Cargill Industrial Oils & Lubricants - has been elected to serve as chairman of the board of directors. Outgoing chairman, Steve Mertens, senior vice president of operations, Holaira, Inc., has been elected to serve as vice chair.
"We are very excited to announce the addition of these officers to LifeScience Alley's board of directors," states Steve Mertens, outgoing chairman of the board. "As our organization continues to strengthen our impact on the national and international operating environment for our members, direction from thought leading individuals and organizations like these is critical."
The election of these high-level industry executives underscores the organization's strategic commitment to providing its members and community with expanded leadership and support at a critical time. Many sectors of the life sciences industries are undergoing economic and policy-based shifts directly affecting business innovation and growth. LifeScience Alley and its subsidiaries, in accordance with their mission, are focused on advocating for sound public policy and engaging in special projects to develop and grow the industries that will ensure Minnesota's leadership in the global life science ecosystem.
About the Board of Directors Officers
Kathleen Chester, vice
president of global regulatory affairs and corporate officer, St. Jude
Medical, Inc., has over twenty-five years of medical device industry
experience in regulatory affairs, quality, and clinical affairs. Prior
to her current position, she served as the vice president of regulatory
affairs and clinical research in the Neuromodulation division at St.
Jude Medical. Ms. Chester has also held regulatory positions at Alcon,
Inc., Medtronic, Inc. and Sulzer Intermedics, Inc.
Todd Fruchterman, MD, PhD, senior vice president of research and development and regulatory affairs, chief technology officer and chief medical officer, 3M Health Care, has over 23 years of broad-based healthcare experience spanning the clinical, scientific and business arenas. Prior to joining 3M, Dr. Fruchterman served as executive vice president, chief technology officer and chief medical officer for Kinetic Concepts, Inc., in San Antonio, Texas. He has also held various positions at Johnson & Johnson, where he most recently led worldwide biosurgical R&D for the Ethicon division; and he directed medical and strategic marketing for Schering-Plough’s hepatitis business. He has focused on innovation methodology and organic growth through the commercialization of novel technologies.
Brian Herman, PhD, vice president for research, University of Minnesota, is responsible for the oversight and administration of an externally funded research program of more than $800 million, encompassing all five campuses in the U of M system. He has primary responsibility for the overall vitality of the university-wide research environment, and is also responsible for technology commercialization activities and for the administration of regulatory offices associated with research. Dr. Herman most recently served as vice president for research at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA). He is the recipient of two NIH National Institute on Aging "Method to Extend Research in Time" (MERIT) Awards, and has served on multiple NIH and NSF study sections, including a four-year term on the NIH Cell, Development and Function-2 study section, two of which he served as chair of the study section.
Rick Kuntz, MD, senior vice president for strategy and scientific operations, chief scientific, clinical and regulatory officer, Medtronic, Inc., oversees the company’s global regulatory affairs, health policy and reimbursement, clinical research, ventures and new therapies and innovation functions. Dr. Kuntz joined Medtronic in October 2005, as senior vice president and president of Medtronic Neuromodulation. Prior to Medtronic he was the founder and chief scientific officer of the Harvard Clinical Research Institute (HCRI), a university-based contract research organization which coordinates National Institutes of Health (NIH) and industry clinical trials with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dr. Kuntz also served as associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and chief of the Division of Clinical Biometrics.
Jeff Mirviss, senior vice president and president, Peripheral Interventions, Boston Scientific Corporation, is responsible for developing and bringing to market innovative solutions for treating patients with high blood pressure, vascular system blockages and cancer. He has more than 23 years of experience in medical device and pharmaceutical general management, marketing and sales. In addition to his roles at Boston Scientific, Mirviss has worked for companies ranging in size from a pre-revenue venture-backed medical device startup to Dow 30 companies.
Stephen Snyder, vice president marketing, Cargill Industrial Oils & Lubricants, has over 20 years of experience in functional food, biotechnology and specialty ingredients focused on growth in both large corporate and start-up environments. He currently leads marketing, new businesses and innovation within Cargill’s industrial oils business focused on sustainable and renewable product solutions. Prior to joining Cargill, he was a founding member of the management team at Senomyx in San Diego, CA, an early stage biotechnology company focused on discovery of novel flavor chemistries for consumer products. He spent nearly 12 years in various leadership positions with Monsanto Company, working in marketing and technology driven businesses.
About LifeScience Alley
LifeScience Alley is an
international leader in sharing best practices, and is the largest
state-based life sciences trade association in the United States. With a
28-year track record of providing valuable services and results-oriented
outcomes to its members, LifeScience Alley improves the life science
operating environment and enables business success through educating
workforces, influencing state and federal public policy, supporting
advancement in research and technological innovation and fostering
industry connections. The Association’s membership and supporting
community employs approximately 250,000 Minnesotans and its reach
extends throughout the Midwest and Canada. Together with its subsidiary,
The BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota, LifeScience Alley works to
strengthen the regional economy by assisting in the growth of
established and emerging industries, and attracting new companies,
talent and capital. www.LifeScienceAlley.org.
