Mary Beth Thomas Named Senior VP at NCBiotech

The North Carolina Biotechnology Center has named Mary Beth Thomas, Ph.D., to the position of senior vice president, science and business development.

Thomas has been serving as vice president of the Center’s Emerging Sector Development program, leading focused initiatives in expanding North Carolina’s life science commercialization opportunities in biodefense/biosecurity and precision health.

As senior vice president, she is initially responsible for the Center's emerging company development (ECD) and science and technology development (STD) programs, as well as the information technology and life science intelligence programs. She and other senior NCBiotech leaders are weighing possible revisions to accommodate her current and former roles.

The ECD and STD units administer the Center’s loan and grant programs. Since 2000, they have provided more than $87 million in support of North Carolina research, educational activities and biotechnology businesses. 

Before joining NCBiotech in 2008, Thomas served as the statewide director of technology commercialization with the Small Business and Technology Development Center in Raleigh. Before that, she was the assistant director of the neurosensory program at Tranzyme Pharma in Research Triangle Park. She also served as an assistant director of the neuroprotection program at Cogent Neuroscience in Durham.

Thomas earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biotechnology at the Rochester Institute of Technology (New York), a doctorate in developmental biology from the University of Cincinnati and served as a postdoctoral fellow with the Department of Neurobiology at Duke University.

She reports to Doug Edgeton, president and CEO. She succeeds Ken Tindall, Ph.D., in the senior vice president role, following Tindall’s retirement after 18 years at the Center.

Solid business leader and Ph.D. scientist

“Mary Beth’s experience with industry and academia, along with the role she has created and driven in the sector development space, have well prepared her to take on new challenges and pursue the many opportunities in the ever-changing life science field,” said Edgeton in announcing the appointment. 

“She is fully committed to the Center’s vision of expanding North Carolina’s transformation as a global life science leader, bringing all-important credentials as a highly trained bench scientist. That gives NCBiotech an unusual advantage when talking with companies and other partners about their science, and in determining how we translate that into business opportunities for North Carolina.”