ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 15 /PRNewswire/ -- MichBio, the state association for the life sciences industry, elected new board members at its annual meeting Wednesday, March 8, at the Marriott Eagle Crest in Ypsilanti. The MichBio annual meeting is held at the beginning of each year and includes dinner, speakers, board elections and an annual report.
The well-attended meeting started with networking before hearing about the state's growing life science industry from a variety of speakers including MichBio executive director Michael Witt, MichBio Board Chair Randal Charlton, Asterand CEO, MichBio Board President Edward Pagani, Pfizer Senior Director of Strategic Alliances, State Senator Valde Garcia, and keynote speaker Kenneth J. Matzick, CEO of Beaumont Hospitals. Michael Witt said the organization's board has been expanded to include more representatives from across the state of Michigan and the medical device industry. Newly elected board members include:
Gregory Aronin, Lansing Johnson & Johnson, Director of State Government Affairs Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois Steven Heacock, Grand Rapids Van Andel Institute Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel Eric Stief, Detroit Wayne State University Licensing Manager for the Technology Transfer Office Bart Waters, Midland Dowpharma (Dow Chemical's pharmaceutical services group) Director of Global Research and Development
Witt also announced that in an effort to promote growth of the industry statewide, the organization continues to expand its reach to areas outside of metro Detroit. For example, the MichBio Expo 2006 is scheduled for October 10- 12 at the DeVos Place in Grand Rapids. Witt said that last year's expo in Detroit at Cobo drew 568 attendees and 110 exhibitors.
About MichBio - MichBio is a non-profit organization dedicated to driving the growth of the life sciences industry in Michigan. The association serves a diverse membership, including new and established life sciences companies, academic and research institutions, as well as service providers and related organizations throughout the state. Acting as a focal point for the life sciences community, MichBio provides networking and educational events, offers a web portal to industry-specific state and national information, addresses public policy, and is focusing on the human resource, funding and infrastructure issues affecting Michigan's biosciences industry.
MichBioCONTACT: Mary Karen McClellan, Director of Public Relations and Marketingof MichBio, +1-734-615-9661, karen@michbio.org
Web site: http://www.michbio.org/
