Kansas City Business Journal by David Twiddy, Reporter
Daniel Getman, CEO of the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute Inc. , plans to step down in late spring.
The bioscience advocacy group announced Getman’s decision Friday, coming three years after he joined the institute after a three-decade career in the pharmaceutical industry.
In a release, Getman said that “it’s a good time to step down” and that he planned to spend more time with his family.
“Frankly, it’s a tremendous opportunity for someone to step in and build on the organization’s success,” he said.
The group has worked to help unify the city’s bioscience companies and raise the area’s profile within the industry.
“The region has made life sciences a priority, recognizing its potential to impact our economy, create new jobs and improve health care,” Patrick James, the institute’s board chairman, said in the release.
The institute has been a leading advocate for the Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act, which would create a state fund for attracting and retaining technology companies in the state. Legislators passed the measure in the fall, but a Cole County judge stuck down the bill on Monday. Attorney General Chris Koster said he will appeal the decision.
Getman also helped establish the Center for Animal Health Innovation in Olathe, which opened last year and will work with local researchers on finding new animal health products and services. The group also pushed for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce to make translational research among its top five priorities for the 2012.
Before joining the institute, Getman spent time in research and administration roles at such pharmaceutical companies as Pfizer Inc., Pharmacia Corp. and Searle/Monsanto. He also is chairman of the Missouri Biotechnology Association and a board member of the Kansas Bioscience Organization.
James said the board has begun looking for a permanent replacement.
