Norris Tolson, president and CEO of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, is one of four new members elected to the North Carolina Biosciences Organization (NCBIO) board of directors. NCBIO, the trade association for North Carolina's bioscience industry, has more than 170 members doing business in human and animal therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, and agricultural and industrial biotechnology.
Tolson took over leadership of the Biotechnology Center in July 2007. He had served on its board of directors since 1997, as a member of the executive committee since 2001 and as vice chair since 2005. He had also helped to develop the recently completed Strategic Plan for Biofuels Leadership in the state.
Previously, Tolson served as the Secretary of Revenue, Secretary of Transportation, and Secretary of the Department of Commerce in North Carolina. He also served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 1994-1997.
In addition to Tolson, NCBIO elected three other new members to three terms on the organization's board of directors and re-elected six others at the May 19 annual meeting in Winston-Salem. New members include Jeff Collins, executive in residence, Pappas Ventures; Susan Thomason, executive director global business development, NovaQuest; and Jan Turek, president and CEO of Biolex Therapuetics.
"We are pleased that Susan, Jeff, Norris and Jan have agreed to join the board. They have a great understanding of the life science industry in North Carolina, and will assist us in the continued growth of NCBIO," said Sam Taylor, president of NCBIO.
Re-elected to the board are Dr. Charles Goldstein, vice president research and director, BD Technologies; Matthew Jennings, senior vice president, corporate development, Teleflex; David Miller, director, public policy, GlaxoSmithKline; John Russell, visiting scholar, UNC-Chapel Hill Center for Global Initiatives; and Mark Weedon, president, BWA Consulting.
Other NCBIO board members are: Karen Albriton, CapStrat; Lou Arp, Eisai; Jonathan Bryant, BASF Plant Science; Dennis Burns, TCG Group/Curasan; Chris Capel, Smith Anderson; John Cox, Biogen Idec; Don deBethizy, Targacept; Tim Gupton, Hughes Pittman and Gupton; Ana Menendez, Catalent; Mark Paige, Novozymes; Russ Read, National Center for the Biotechnology Work Force; Robert Schotzinger, Viamet; Thomas Staab, Inspire Pharmaceuticals; Eric Ward, CropSolution; and NCBIO Chairman Emeritus John Irick, Biolex Therapeutics.