RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., July 27, 2005 -- Cheryl S. McMurry, an executive with extensive experience in biotechnology business development, commercialization and recruitment, has been hired as director of the Western Office of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, effective Aug. 1.
"I am both pleased and proud to join the Biotechnology Center team," McMurry said. "The Biotechnology Center has an international reputation for excellence, effectiveness and ethics, and I look forward to continuing its work in Western North Carolina."
McMurry succeeds Dr. Charles Moreland, who is retiring.
"Western North Carolina is just beginning to understand its potential for building a unique and innovative natural biotech industry," said Jack Cecil, president of Biltmore Farms of Asheville and chairman of the Advisory Committee for Biotechnology in Western North Carolina. "Cheryl McMurry brings vision, deep experience and commitment to the region. We are fortunate that she has taken up the challenge of leading this highly creative venture."
George Briggs, executive director of the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville and vice chairman of the Advisory Committee, said, "The hiring of Cheryl McMurry marks an important milestone of sustainability in building Western North Carolina's natural biotech industry. Like the industry itself, Cheryl possesses enormous innovative energy. It's a great match. We are fortunate as a region and state to have recruited her leadership."
McMurry will work with companies, schools and institutions throughout Western North Carolina to both identify and strengthen their capabilities for biotechnology development.
"She will implement a key premise of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center," said W. Steven Burke, senior vice president of corporate affairs at the Biotechnology Center.
"Gaining eventual jobs and economic return from biotechnology in a region requires a foundation of different partners, long-term commitment, and practical strategies." McMurry will administer the Advisory Committee for Biotechnology in Western North Carolina, which has determined that native plants and biotechnology are a significant strength and opportunity for the region. She also will serve as direct conduit for Western North Carolina to the funding programs and other resources of the Biotechnology Center.
The Western Office where McMurry will work is located on the Enka campus of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, a sponsor of the office along with Advantage West and the Appalachian Regional Commission.
Prior to joining the Biotechnology Center, McMurry was manager of the N.C. Community College System's BioNetwork BioBusiness Center at A-B Tech. Before her move to Asheville, she spent three years as senior vice president of Emergent Technologies Inc., a venture capital company headquartered in Austin, Texas, and was president of Emergent Technologies, Oklahoma, a partnership fund with investments in five Oklahoma biotechnology companies.
McMurry began her career practicing law in Columbia, S.C., and was subsequently appointed to positions in the U.S. Department of Transportation as the director of public affairs and the chief counsel of the Federal Highway Administration. She began her involvement in the life sciences in New Jersey as special counsel to the chairman of MetPath Inc., an international clinical testing laboratory, and as vice president and counsel to Sci/Med, an early technology commercialization company.
Later, as director of technology development and marketing for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, she was instrumental in the creation of the Oklahoma Technology Commercialization Center, a state-funded, privately run enterprise that assisted more than 60 companies and put together funding of over $200 million.
A native of Ardmore, Okla., McMurry has a bachelor's degree in education from Auburn University, a master's degree in education from Winthrop College, and a master's degree in public administration and a law degree from the University of South Carolina.
The Biotechnology Center is a private, non-profit corporation supported by the General Assembly. Its mission is to provide long-term economic and societal benefits to North Carolina by supporting biotechnology research, business and education statewide.
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Editors: The unconventional spelling of Cheryl McMurry's last name is correct as stated. Also, a color photo of McMurry is available from the Biotechnology Center as a .jpg file and can be downloaded at: www.ncbiotech.org/assets/images/staff/mcmurry_print.jpg.
Contact: Barry Teater, director of corporate communications, North Carolina Biotechnology Center, 919-541-9366. Visit the Center's web site at www.ncbiotech.org.
