WILMINGTON, N.C., Oct. 12, 2006--Twenty-five leaders of business, academia and science from throughout Southeastern North Carolina have committed to serve on an advisory committee to help guide the region's biotechnology development.
The group, formally designated the Advisory Committee for Biotechnology in Southeastern North Carolina, was brought together by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. The Biotechnology Center’s Southeastern Office serves 12 counties: Bladen, Brunswick, Cumberland, Columbus, Duplin, Hoke, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender, Robeson, Sampson and Scotland.
Dr. Rosemary DePaolo, chancellor of the University of North Carolina Wilmington, chairs the committee, and Wendell Murphy, founder of Murphy Family Ventures, is vice chairman. The group's first meeting Sept. 19 on the UNC Wilmington campus included presentations from committee members Gene Haley, CEO of Wilmington Pharmaceuticals, and Dan Baden, director of the UNC Wilmington Center for Marine Science.
Other speakers included Norris Tolson, secretary of the N.C. Department of Revenue; W. Steven Burke, senior vice president of corporate affairs for the Biotechnology Center; and Randall Johnson, director of the Biotechnology Center's Southeastern Office here.
"This committee is a diverse and dynamic group of smart and dedicated people," said Johnson. "It should come as no surprise that creative ideas flow when they meet. They will guide our region's biotechnology growth to enhance our economic future. Whether it's marine life, agriculture, health care or manufacturing, the various tools of biotechnology play an increasingly important role in Southeastern North Carolina in producing outcomes that improve people's lives."
A separate committee held its first meeting the same week in Greenville, to similarly guide biotechnology growth in Eastern North Carolina. The Biotechnology Center, working with regional partners, has also established advisory committees to serve the Piedmont Triad and Western North Carolina.
The advisory committees are catalyzed by the Biotechnology Center's offices in the regions. Offices are in Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greenville and Wilmington. A fifth and final committee will be empanelled to serve the Greater Charlotte area, where the Biotechnology Center regional office opened Oct. 10.
"Partnership and strategic thinking are required to move a complicated technology from promise to practical outcomes across a large region," Burke said. "We have both in these committees."
The North Carolina Biotechnology Center is a state-supported, non-profit organization. Its mission is to provide long-term economic and societal benefits to North Carolina by supporting biotechnology research, business and education statewide.
Contact: Jim Shamp, news and publications editor, North Carolina Biotechnology Center, 919-541-9366. Visit the Biotechnology Center's Web site.
The Members of the Advisory Committee for Biotechnology in Southeastern North Carolina
- Dan Baden, director, University of North Carolina Wilmington Center for Marine Science, Wilmington
- J.D. Brooks, manager, Robeson Community College BioNetwork BioAg Center, Lumberton
- Bill Burke, board member, Cape Fear Biofuels, Wilmington
- W. Steven Burke, senior vice president, corporate affairs, North Carolina Biotechnology Center, Research Triangle Park
- Michael Cain, president, Wilmington Investor Network, Wilmington
- Terry Coffey, president, Murphy-Brown East, Warsaw
- Bruce Dawson, principal, Infinomics, LLC, Wilmington
- Rosemary DePaolo: committee chair and chancellor, University of North Carolina Wilmington
- Fred Eshelman, president and CEO, PPD Inc., Wilmington
- David Fussell Sr., co-founder, Duplin Winery, Rose Hill
- Michelle Gomperts, biology instructor, Brunswick Community College, Supply
- Gene Haley, CEO, Wilmington Pharmaceuticals, Wilmington
- Harry Hart, farmer, Bolton
- Len Holmes, director, Biotechnology Business & Training Center, University of North Carolina Pembroke
- Randall Johnson, director, Southeastern Office, North Carolina Biotechnology Center, Wilmington
- Eric McKeithan, president, Cape Fear Community College, Wilmington
- Allen Meadors, chancellor, University of North Carolina at Pembroke
- Marvin Moss, professor, University of North Carolina Wilmington
- Wendell Murphy, committee vice chair and founder, Murphy Family Ventures, Rose Hill
- Scott Satterfield, CEO, Wilmington Industrial Development, Wilmington
- Jane Smith, chair, North Carolina Southeast Regional Partnership, Lumberton
- H.L. "Steve" Stephenson III, attorney, Ward and Smith, P.A., Attorneys at Law, Winterville
- John Swope, executive director, Sampson County Economic Development
Commission, Clinton - Cindy Van Dover, director, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Beaufort
- Amber Zentis, Council for Entrepreneurial Development, Wilmington
- Mark Lanier, assistant to the chancellor, University of North Carolina Wilmington
Ex-Officio Member:
