NCBiotech Names New President & CEO

Board of Directors Appoints Doug Edgeton to Leadership Post

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Doug EdgetonRESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., August 13, 2014 – Douglas L. Edgeton, a veteran of the healthcare and economic development sectors, will be the next president and chief executive officer of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, the Board of Directors announced today.

Edgeton is currently the Center’s senior vice president for financial planning and development and will begin his new role September 2.

“Doug brings a new perspective and many ideas to catalyzing life science industry growth,” said John Atkins, chairman of the Board of Directors. “His experience demonstrates he knows how to foster an environment that drives small-company growth and job creation.”

Edgeton was the staff lead on the top-to-bottom examination of Center operations, requested by the General Assembly and led by former chairman and CEO of GlaxoWellcome Robert A. Ingram. The response to the legislature documented changes to the Center’s structure, staffing and programs following budget cuts. Ingram’s committee recommended additional funding for the Center’s programs, and the General Assembly increased the Center’s appropriation by $1 million this fiscal year.

Wednesday’s announcement caps a six-month search led by board Vice Chairman Jack Cecil. The process started in February when Norris Tolson announced that he was stepping down. The search committee received hundreds of applications for the post.

"Doug's broad background, knowledge of the Center and connections in the state's life science and health community will be key as the Center continues to facilitate job creation and investment in this high-value sector," said Cecil, who is president of Biltmore Farms.

Prior to joining the Biotech Center in 2012, Edgeton was president of the Piedmont Triad Research Park as part of his role as executive vice president for administration at Wake Forest Baptist Health. At PTRP, Edgeton guided the redevelopment of two former Reynolds tobacco warehouses into the state-of-the-art Wake Forest Biotech Place from concept to completion. The public-private partnership between the university and Winston-Salem created space for cutting-edge research and incubator facilities for startup companies.

In addition to Wake Forest Biotech Place project, Edgeton led the team that consolidated and streamlined operations between Wake Forest’s hospital, medical school and university health sciences.

Edgeton spent his early career at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he held increasingly senior positions in the hospital’s administrative structure. He ultimately served as the senior associate dean for administration before coming to Wake Forest.

“It is an honor to have been selected to lead efforts of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center,” Edgeton said.

“Over the past 20 years, my work has focused on developing the ecosystem that advances life science technologies to market. It is easy to see North Carolina is well-positioned to bring solutions to the challenges of healing, feeding and fueling the world. The Biotech Center facilitates these solutions, which have tremendous impact for North Carolina and beyond.

“I look forward to working with all of the companies and people that we serve.”

Edgeton earned his bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Alabama. He went on to complete both a master’s of public health and a master’s of business administration at UAB. He lives in Raleigh with his wife. They have two adult children.

The North Carolina Biotechnology Center is a private, non-profit corporation supported by the N.C. General Assembly. Its mission is to provide long-term economic and societal benefits to North Carolina by supporting biotechnology research, business, education and strategic policy statewide.

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Contact: Robin Deacle, vice president of corporate communications, at robin_deacle@ncbiotech.org or 919-541-9366. 

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